ECB President Lagarde has laid down a gloomy picture of the economy under the second covid wave sending EUR/USD to the lowest in a month at 1.1679. The EUR/USD pair is set to remain under pressure and focused on coronavirus statistics, FXStreet’s Analyst Yohay Elam reports.
At its monetary policy meeting held on October 29th, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) decided to leave the interest rates on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility unchanged at 0.00%, 0.25% and -0.50%, respectively, as expected.
The European Central Bank (ECB) left its monetary policy unchanged as expected but mentioned it will “recalibrate” its instruments in December. According to analysts at Rabobank, the ECB is likely to extend and increase the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP) in December. They warn that the success of this move will largely depend on Eurozone governments joining forces with the central bank.
ECB President Lagarde has laid down a gloomy picture of the economy under the second covid wave. She committed to providing additional stimulus measures in the December meeting. EUR/USD is set to remain under pressure and focused on coronavirus statistics.
"We do not target the FX rate" – Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank. These words, alongside a headline saying the ECB prefers to remain calm on the exchange rate, sent EUR/USD toward 1.19. It is uncommon for a central bank to comment on FX – but investors were eyeing such remarks following previous murmurings about the value of the euro.
At its monetary policy meeting held on September10th, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) decided to leave the interest rates on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility unchanged at 0.00%, 0.25% and -0.50%, respectively, as expected.
Lagarde has picked the low-hanging fruit – and now needs her political skills to poke policymakers on the fiscal front – without scaring markets, a fine balancing act. The European Central Bank is set to leave its policy unchanged in its July meeting. The Frankfurt-based institution is set to take a break after topping up its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Program (PEPP) with €600 billion in June. This bond-buying scheme – which has fewer constraints than previous ones – now totals €1.35 trillion.
One-two punch – in favor of the euro. Less than 24 hours have passed since German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a €130 billion stimulus plan, and in Frankfurt, on the other side of Europe's largest economy, another stimulus boost came. The European Central Bank has announced an increase of €600 billion to its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Program (PEPP), and it now reaches €1.35 trillion.
The European Central Bank brought its bond purchase program limit t €1.3 trillion in an effort to help member states cope with the expense of rebuilding their economies after the coronavirus pandemic. Citing the downward pressure on inflation and the bank stated, “The PEPP expansion will further ease the general monetary policy stance, supporting funding conditions in the real economy, especially for businesses and households.” Interest rate unchanged at 0.0%, deposit at -0.5%.
AUD/USD probes pullback from multi-month high ahead of the key data/events. Fed Chair Powell conveys economic worries, US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin pushes for stimulus. Risks dwindle amid economic fears, uncertainty over the US covid aid package.
Gold prices seesaw around $1,77/78 during the early Tuesday morning in Asia. The yellow metal dropped to the lowest since July the previous day before bouncing off $1,764.73. Economic fears, need for stimulus raise bars for the bull’s entry.
EUR/USD trades around 1.1940 after failing to break above the psychological threshold. Bulls retain control and would likely challenge the level once again.
XRP traded as high as $0.78 on November 24 before a brief period of a correction down to $0.456. Ripple price is trading at $0.655 at the time of writing, notably recovering from the dip and aiming to set higher highs.
Learn to trade with the best! Don't miss the most experienced traders and speakers in FXStreet Premium webinars. Also if you are a Premium member you can get real-time FXS Signals and receive daily market analysis with the best forex insights!
The European Central Bank is the central bank empowered to manage monetary policy for the Eurozone. With its beginnings in Germany 1998, the ECB is empowered to maintain price stability in the euro area, so that the euro’s purchasing power is not eroded by inflation. As an entity independent of individual EU countries and EU institutions, the ECB aims to ensure that the year-on-year increase in consumer prices is less than, but close to 2% over the medium term. Another of its tasks is the one of controlling the money supply. This involves, for example, setting interest rates throughout the euro area. The European Central Bank’s work is organized via the following decision-making bodies: the Executive Board, the Governing Council and the General Council. Christine Lagarde is the President of this organism since November 1st 2019. Her speeches, statements and declarations are an important source of volatility, especially for the Euro and the currencies traded against the European currency.
The Official Website, on Twitter and YouTube
Christine Lagarde was born in 1956 in Paris, France. Graduated from Paris West University Nanterre La Défense and became President of the European Central Bank in November 1st 2019. Prior to that, she served as Chairman and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund between 2011 and 2019. Lagarde previously held various senior ministerial posts in the Government of France: she was Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry (2007–2011), Minister of Agriculture and Fishing (2007) and Minister of Commerce (2005–2007).
Prior to the Rate Decision:
After the Rate Decision:
The decision always has an effect on the Euro.
When the interest rate is increased the European Central Bank is literally selling government securities to large financial firms. In turn, the financial organizations are paying in Euros for these securities. This effectively decreases the amount of currency circulating in the economy. A decreasing supply leads to higher demand, and therefore causes the value of the Euro to appreciate.
When the interest rates are decreased, the European Central Bank floods the market with Euros. This is done by the purchasing government securities from financial organizations. In return for the securities, these banks and financial deals are paid in Euros, therefore increasing the supply of Euros in the economy. As supply increases, the value of the Euros depreciates.
The World Interest Rates Table reflects the current interest rates of the main countries around the world, set by their respective Central Banks. Rates typically reflect the health of individual economies, as in a perfect scenario, Central Banks tend to rise rates when the economy is growing and therefore instigate inflation.
In practical terms, QE means that central banks create money out of nothing to buy securities, such as government bonds. This new money swells the size of bank reserves by the quantity of assets purchased and that’s why this programme is called Quantitative Easings. The money supply is intended to flood financial institutions with capital in an effort to stimulate lending and increase liquidity.
Much of the governments’ debt is held by banks in the Eurozone and the ECB wants them to give more credits. If the European Central Bank buys government bonds, their prices rise and profitability drop even more. This is a liquidity-providing operation that weakens the value of the euro. This depreciation makes European exports cheaper and competitive, and ultimately, helps in recovering. In addition, as a result of the stimulus to internal and external consumption, the ECB combats the risk of deflation, a widespread and prolonged drop in prices, as well as the high unemployment.
The long term refinancing operation (LTRO) is a cheap loan scheme for European banks that was announced by the European Central Bank towards the end of 2011 in a bid to help ease the eurozone crisis.
Round one was carried out on 21 December, when banks took €489 billion from the European Central Bank. The loans are due to be repaid within three years at a rate of 1%, and a second round will be launched on 28 February, with the results of how much money was requested due on 29 February.
As the eurozone crisis has escalated, banks have become less stable and have less money to lend. The objective of the LTRO is to boost cash flow in the market and avoid a severe credit crunch or collapse of the banking system.
