EUR/USD – Euro Stable, German Economic Sentiment Jumps

EUR/USD continues to show little movement this week, as the pair trades at the 1.16 line on Tuesday. On the release front, German ZEW Economic Sentiment jumped to 48.4 points, well above expectations. However, German PPI disappointed with a decline of 0.7%. There are no major releases out of the US on Tuesday.

There was excellent news out of Germany, as ZEW Economic Sentiment climbed to 48.4 points, crushing the estimate of 40.1 points. This marked the indicator’s highest level in 11 months, pointing to strong optimism among German investors and analysts. Eurozone Economic Sentiment, improving to 45.2 points. This easily surpassed the forecast of 37.6 points. The news was not as positive on the inflation front, as German PPI dropped 0.7%, its worst showing since April 2009. With the Eurozone struggling with deflation, there is growing expectation that the ECB will announce a QE package at its policy meeting on Thursday.

It’s been less than a week since the SNB stunned the markets by suddenly removing the cap with the euro. This resulted in the euro recording sharp losses against the Swiss franc and the US dollar. However, the markets have had to quickly change focus, as there is growing anticipation that the ECB will announce a QE package on Thursday, when the ECB meets for a crucial policy meeting. The Eurozone has been plagued by deflation and weak growth, and the SNB shocker only reinforces the belief that the ECB will finally make a move. Even if QE has been priced in, there’s no way to know the size of such a scheme, so traders could be in for plenty of volatility from EUR/USD later in the week.

EUR/USD 1.1592 H: 1.1614 L: 1.1568