EUR/USD gains ground above 1.0850, focus on Fedspeak

The EUR/USD pair trades on a stronger note around 1.0875 on Monday during the early Asian trading hours. The uptick in the major pair is bolstered by the softer Greenback. The Federal Reserve’s (Fed) Bostic, Barr, Waller, Jefferson, and Mester are scheduled to speak on Monday. Eurozone data highlight will be preliminary May PMI on Thursday.

Inflationary pressures eased in April, but the progress was unlikely to prompt the Fed to lower interest rates soon. The Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that he thinks the US central bank will need more data to gain confidence on whether inflation is steadily falling towards 2%. Furthermore, several Fed officials emphasized their cautious stance to hold rates higher for longer. 

Last week, Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic stated he saw signs of cooling inflation in the recent CPI report, but he prefers to watch the May and June data to make sure that the inflation doesn’t turn back the other way. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said policy was well positioned, and it was premature to say progress on inflation had stalled. Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin noted the central bank needs to keep borrowing costs high for longer to ensure inflation is on track to its target. The lower bets on rate cut expectations from the US Fed might lift the USD and create a headwind for the EUR/USD pair. 

Across the pond, European Central Bank (ECB) policymaker Isabel Schnabel said the ECB may slash interest rates in June, but warned about further cuts in borrowing costs given uncertainty over the outlook. Nomura analysts stated “a gradual pace of three cuts this year is currently the most probable scenario,” despite the ECB's actions remaining data-dependent and could shift to more aggressive cuts if economic conditions worsen.