|

EUR/USD Forecast: A bit oversold after Draghi's blow, ahead of the NFP

  • EUR/USD is trading around the 21-month lows it reached after the ECB's dovish shift.
  • All eyes are on the US jobs report which is expected to be more modest. 
  • The four-hour chart shows that the pair is slightly oversold

EUR/USD is battling the 1.1200 level after hitting a low of 1.1176, the lowest since June 2017. The primary driver was the dovish decision of the European Central Bank on Thursday. 

President Mario Draghi and his colleagues decided to push back the forward guidance on raising interest rates from September to the end of the year. Also, they announced a new funding scheme called TLTRO 3. The additional monetary stimulus came as the ECB slashed growth forecasts from 1.7% to 1.1% for this year and citing downside risks. Draghi was upbeat on the employment situation but in general, painted a darker picture. 

Markets had expected a dovish turn, but it came sooner and stronger than had been anticipated, sending the euro plunging. 

More: Draghi quick analysis: 5 factors that downed EUR/USD and the big levels to watch

The data remains unfavorable for the common currency, with German Factory Orders plunging by 2.6% in January. Despite an upward revision for December, concerns about the continent's powerhouse persist.

Worries also come from China, which reported significant drops in both imports and exports in February, strengthening Draghi's point about a global slowdown. However, data may have been skewed due to the Chinese New Year.

The focus now shifts to the US with the all-important Non-Farm Payrolls data for February. After gaining an impressive 304K positions in January, a more modest increase of 180K is expected. Average hourly earnings are projected to advance by 0.3% MoM and 3.3% YoY.

The US labor market remains robust, and any upside surprise increases the chances that the Fed will raise rates in the latter part of the year, as some suspect, after "patience" runs out. 

See:  Non-Farm Payrolls Preview: Labor market defiance

EUR/USD Technical Analysis

EUR USD technical analysis chart March 8 2019

EUR/USD continues suffering from significant downside Momentum, but the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is still below 30, indicating oversold conditions. These conditions imply a few more pips of a recovery within the downtrend. 

Initial support awaits at 1.1190 that provided some support in recent hours. The next line to watch is 1.1176 which is the fresh 2019 low. 1.1110 and 1.1025 were substantial levels back in 2017.

Resistance awaits at 1.1215 which was the 2018 low recorded last November. 1.1235 was the previous 2019 low seen in February, and it is followed by 1.1250, 1.1275 and 1.1290.

More: EUR/USD path to the downside is easy after Draghi's drag – Confluence Detector

Author

Yohay Elam

Yohay Elam

FXStreet

Yohay is in Forex since 2008 when he founded Forex Crunch, a blog crafted in his free time that turned into a fully-fledged currency website later sold to Finixio.

More from Yohay Elam
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD trims gains, back below 1.1800

EUR/USD now loses some upside momentum, returning to the area below the 1.1800 support as the Greenback manages to regain some composure following the SCOTUS-led pullback earlier in the session.

GBP/USD off highs, recedes to the sub-1.3500 area

Following earlier highs north of 1.3500 the figure, GBP/USD now faces some renewed downside pressure, revisiting the 1.3490 zone as the US Dollar manages to regain some upside impulse in the latter part of the NA session on Friday.

Gold climbs to weekly tops, approaches $5,100/oz

Gold keeps the bid tone well in place at the end of the week, now hitting fresh weekly highs and retargeting the key $5,100 mark per troy ounce. The move higher in the yellow metal comes in response to ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and modest losses in the US Dollar.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP rebound as risk appetite improves

Bitcoin rises marginally, nearing the immediate resistance of $68,000 at the time of writing on Friday. Major altcoins, including Ethereum and Ripple, hold key support levels as bulls aim to maintain marginal intraday gains.

Week ahead – Markets brace for heightened volatility as event risk dominates

Dollar strength dominates markets as risk appetite remains subdued. A Supreme Court ruling, geopolitics and Fed developments are in focus. Pivotal Nvidia earnings on Wednesday as investors question tech sector weakness.

Ripple bulls defend key support amid waning retail demand and ETF inflows

XRP ticks up above $1.40 support, but waning retail demand suggests caution. XRP attracts $4 million in spot ETF inflows on Thursday, signaling renewed institutional investor interest.