|

EUR: A hawkish r-star? – ING


The European Central Bank will publish its staff revision on the neutral rate today, ING’s FX analysts Francesco Pesole notes.

EUR/USD to retest the 1.044 Wednesday highs

“President Christine Lagarde said last week that r-star is ‘a range that does not give a guideline or a destination’ and Olli Rehn added yesterday that ‘we should not constrain our freedom of action because of a theoretical concept’.”

“That said, with the next couple of cuts not particularly up for debate, a lot of the action in pricing is focused on the terminal rate. The scope and timing of US tariffs would have a big say, but while markets await Trump’s move on the EU, today’s report is all markets will get in terms of terminal rate guidance, and we expect a euro reaction.”

“Based on Rehn’s comments and the fact that r-star projections are model-based (i.e. embedding significantly higher inflation than in the past), our best guess is that today’s note will show a relatively high rate and send a hawkish signal. When adding downside risks for US payrolls, we favour a new leg higher in EUR/USD to retest the 1.044 Wednesday highs.”

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

The FXStreet Insights Team is a group of journalists that handpicks selected market observations published by renowned experts. The content includes notes by commercial as well as additional insights by internal and external analysts.

More from FXStreet Insights Team
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD holds steady near 1.1750 on first trading day of 2026

EUR/USD stays calm on Friday and trades in a narrow channel at around 1.1750 as trading conditions remain thin following the New Year holiday and ahead of the weekend. The economic calendar will not feature any high-impact data releases.

GBP/USD struggles to gain traction, stabilizes above 1.3450

After testing 1.3400 on the last day of 2025, GBP/USD managed to stage a rebound. Nevertheless, the pair finds it difficult to gather momentum and moves sideways above 1.3450 as market participants remain in holiday mood.

Gold climbs toward $4,400 following deep correction

Gold reverses its direction and advances toward $4,400 after suffering heavy losses amid profit-taking before the New Year holiday. Growing expectations for a dovish Fed policy and persistent geopolitical risks seem to be helping XAU/USD stretch higher.

Cardano gains early New Year momentum, bulls target falling wedge breakout

Cardano kicks off the New Year on a positive note and is extending gains, trading above $0.36 at the time of writing on Friday. Improving on-chain and derivatives data point to growing bullish interest, while the technical outlook keeps an upside breakout in focus.

Economic outlook 2026-2027 in advanced countries: Solidity test

After a year marked by global economic resilience and ending on a note of optimism, 2026 looks promising and could be a year of solid economic performance. In our baseline scenario, we expect most of the supportive factors at work in 2025 to continue to play a role in 2026.

Crypto market outlook for 2026

Year 2025 was volatile, as crypto often is.  Among positive catalysts were favourable regulatory changes in the U.S., rise of Digital Asset Treasuries (DAT), adoption of AI and tokenization of Real-World-Assets (RWA).