|

AUD/EUR set to trade at 0.62 by year-end – Westpac

Increased European Central Bank (ECB) grumbling about euro rise and rapid QE contrast with more cautious Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) though a sustained break of 0.6200 could take some effort, according to economists at Westpac. The AUD/EUR pair has been thoroughly rangebound over the past three months, trading mostly 0.6050 to 0.6200.

Key quotes

“Officials are careful to insist that their concern is the inflation impact of a strong euro rather than trying to help exports. At last week’s meeting, President Lagarde played down EUR concerns but there is little breathing room on the inflation outlook, with ECB forecasting core inflation only at 1.1% by 2022.”

“The ECB balance sheet expansion remains rapid – see over, including EUR20 B per month that began pre-pandemic, a EUR120 B program agreed in March and the whopping EUR1350 B pandemic purchase program.”

“RBA balance sheet expansion is comparatively muted and the RBA views A$ appreciation as in line with the strength of commodity prices. Our AUD/EUR end-2020 forecast is 0.6200 but near-term we would not be surprised to see a period of trade nearer 0.6250.”

Author

More from FXStreet Team
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD holds losses below 1.1850 ahead of FOMC Minutes

EUR/USD stays on the back foot below 1.1850 in the European session on Wednesday, pressured by renewed US Dollar demand and reports that ECB President Lagarde will step down before the end of her term. Traders now look forward to the Minutes of the Fed's January monetary policy meeting for fresh signals on future rate cuts. 

GBP/USD defends 1.3550 after UK inflation data

GBP/USD is holding above 1.3550 in Wednesday's European morning, little changed following the UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) data release. The UK inflation eased as expected in January, reaffirming bets for a March BoE interest rate cut, especially after Tuesday's weak employment report. 

Gold retains bullish bias amid Fed rate cut bets, ahead of Fed Minutes

Gold sticks to modest intraday gains through the early European session, reversing a major part of the previous day's heavy losses of more than 2%, to the $4,843-4,842 region or a nearly two-week low. That said, the fundamental backdrop warrants caution for bulls ahead of the FOMC Minutes, which will look for more cues about the US Federal Reserve's rate-cut path. 

Pi Network rally defies market pressure ahead of its first anniversary

Pi Network is trading above $0.1900 at press time on Wednesday, extending the weekly gains by nearly 8% so far. The steady recovery is supported by a short-term pause in mainnet migration, which reduces pressure on the PI token supply for Centralized Exchanges. The technical outlook focuses on the $0.1919 resistance as bullish momentum increases.

Mixed UK inflation data no gamechanger for the Bank of England

Food inflation plunged in January, but service sector price pressure is proving stickier. We continue to expect Bank of England rate cuts in March and June. The latest UK inflation read is a mixed bag for the Bank of England, but we doubt it drastically changes the odds of a March rate cut.

Top 3 Price Prediction: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple face downside risk as bears regain control

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple remain under pressure on Wednesday, with the broader trend still sideways. BTC is edging below $68,000, nearing the lower consolidating boundary, while ETH and XRP also declined slightly, approaching their key supports.