EUR/USD: ECB and Fed policies to diverge, lifting the Euro – MUFG

FXStreet Insights Team FXStreet

Near-term ECB policy outlook has been the driver of EUR volatility this week. A diverging monetary plicy between Fed and ECB is set to boost the Euro, according to economists at MUFG Bank.

ECB policy rate to reach 3.00% by the end of this quarter

“We are sticking with our forecast for the policy rate to reach 3.00% by the end of this quarter. A scenario that is not fully priced into the eurozone rate market which is currently expecting a total of 93 bps of hikes to be delivered at the February and March policy meetings.”

“We expect ECB and Fed policies to diverge at the start of this year with the Fed set to slow the pace of hikes to 25 bps in February in response to further evidence of softening US inflation. It continues to favour a stronger Euro alongside the improving cyclical outlook for the Eurozone that is currently being priced into markets as recession risks are pared back.”

Author

FXStreet Insights Team

FXStreet

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.

EUR/USD eyes nine-day EMA barrier after rebounding from 1.1600

EUR/USD gains ground after registering modest losses in the previous session, trading around 1.1620 during the Asian hours on Friday. The technical analysis of the daily chart suggests an ongoing bearish bias as the pair remains within the descending channel pattern.

GBP/USD: Pound Sterling ticks up against US Dollar in countdown to US NFP

The Pound Sterling trades marginally higher to near 1.3365 against the US Dollar during the Asian trading session on Friday. The GBP/USD pair edges up as the US Dollar ticks down ahead of the United States Nonfarm Payrolls data for February, which will be published at 13:30 GMT.

Gold rises but remains on track for weekly loss in five weeks

Gold price recovers its recent losses from the previous session on Friday. The yellow metal advances as the broader precious metals market rebounds on safe-haven demand. However, the yellow metal is on track for its first weekly decline in five weeks as escalating Middle East tensions push oil prices higher, fueling inflation concerns and reducing bets on Federal Reserve rate cuts.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple at risk as US-Iran war extends

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple trade cautiously at press time on Friday, close to key support levels after a roughly 2% pullback the previous day. Bitcoin holds above $71,000, Ethereum at $2,000, and XRP continues to consolidate in a sideways range.

The market compass is pointing at a barrel of Oil

The Asian open is arriving with equities leaning the wrong way, and the reason is not complicated. The market’s compass needle has snapped firmly toward crude. In this tape, oil is not just another input price; it is the gravitational center around which every asset class is orbiting.

Ripple tests recovery strength amid steady ETF inflows, growing retail interest

Ripple (XRP) continues to demonstrate notable resilience as the cryptocurrency market navigates the persistent war in the Middle East after the United States (US) and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday.