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EUR/USD inches up after Trump's Hormuz deadline extension; remains below mid-1.1500s

  • EUR/USD attracts some buyers during the Asian session amid a modest USD downtick.
  • Trump extends the deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, undermining the buck.
  • Persistent geopolitical uncertainty and hawkish Fed bets could limit the USD downside.

The EUR/USD pair edges higher during the Asian session on Friday, though it lacks bullish conviction and risks attracting fresh sellers amid a bullish US Dollar (USD). Nevertheless, spot prices, for now, seem to have snapped a three-day losing streak and currently trade around the 1.1535-1.1540 area, up nearly 0.10% for the day.

US President Donald Trump delayed a threatened strike on Iran’s energy infrastructure and extended his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz until April 6. This helps ease concerns about a further escalation of tensions in the Middle East and dents the USD's safe-haven demand, which turns out to be a key factor offering some support to the EUR/USD pair.

Meanwhile, Iran has threatened to retaliate against regional infrastructure, including desalination facilities, if Trump follows through with his threat. Moreover, the deployment of additional US troops has been fueling speculation of a potential ground operation. This keeps geopolitical risks in play and should underpin the USD's status as the global reserve currency.

Apart from this, hawkish US Federal Reserve (Fed) expectations might continue to act as a tailwind for the buck and cap the upside for the EUR/USD pair. Investors remain worried that the war-driven surge in energy prices would revive inflationary pressures and now seem to have fully priced out the possibility of any further interest rate cuts by the Fed this year.

Moreover, traders are rapidly increasing bets for a hike by the end of this year. The outlook remains supportive of elevated US Treasury bond yields and validates the USD bullish bias. This, in turn, warrants some caution for the EUR/USD bulls and makes it prudent to wait for some follow-through buying before positioning for any further intraday appreciating move.

US Dollar Price Today

The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the strongest against the Swiss Franc.

USDEURGBPJPYCADAUDNZDCHF
USD-0.10%-0.08%-0.14%-0.09%-0.07%-0.10%-0.04%
EUR0.10%0.02%-0.06%0.00%0.02%-0.00%0.06%
GBP0.08%-0.02%-0.09%-0.02%0.01%-0.03%0.04%
JPY0.14%0.06%0.09%0.07%0.06%0.04%0.12%
CAD0.09%-0.01%0.02%-0.07%0.00%-0.00%0.05%
AUD0.07%-0.02%-0.01%-0.06%-0.00%-0.02%0.04%
NZD0.10%0.00%0.03%-0.04%0.00%0.02%0.06%
CHF0.04%-0.06%-0.04%-0.12%-0.05%-0.04%-0.06%

The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).

Author

Haresh Menghani

Haresh Menghani is a detail-oriented professional with 10+ years of extensive experience in analysing the global financial markets.

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