empty
13.03.2025 11:39 AM
Euro Faces Some Challenges

The European currency has encountered some difficulties in its upward movement following yesterday's speech by the European Central Bank (ECB) President.

"The eurozone economy is facing exceptional shocks caused by challenges in trade, defense, and climate, which could increase inflation volatility and raise the risk of more persistent price growth," ECB President Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday.

This image is no longer relevant

These factors prevent the ECB from clearly signaling its policy intentions, making it even more crucial for the bank to commit to its 2% inflation target and outline how it will respond to various economic shocks.

Since June last year, the ECB has cut interest rates six times, but last week it refrained from giving any clear guidance on future policy, leaving markets uncertain about the onset of a period of heightened instability. This uncertainty is further fueled by the Trump administration's challenge to established international cooperation.

"Our expectations have indeed been overturned in recent years, especially in the last few weeks," Lagarde noted. "We have witnessed political decisions that would have been unimaginable just a few months ago."

The deterioration in trade relations is likely to lead to larger and more disruptive price changes. Additional spending on defense and infrastructure could also fuel inflation. However, Lagarde acknowledged the possibility that such shocks might counterbalance each other, neutralizing inflationary pressures.

The key issue for the ECB is that inflation reacts disproportionately to major shocks rather than smaller ones, potentially making it more persistent. ECB economists warn that this asymmetrical price response, combined with current wage-setting mechanisms, could create lasting inflation problems.

"If state-driven pricing becomes the norm, the regional economy will face serious shocks," Lagarde stated. "Major shocks will accelerate inflation growth, and wages will once again have to gradually catch up with prices."

Lagarde did not propose specific solutions but emphasized that the ECB must clearly define what it can and cannot do.

"While the ECB cannot promise to keep inflation at exactly 2% at all times, nor provide explicit policy direction, it must set policies that ensure inflation approaches the target over the medium term," she explained.

However, as I mentioned earlier, this speech had little immediate impact on the foreign exchange market, particularly the euro.

EUR/USD Technical Outlook

Currently, EUR/USD buyers need to break above the 1.0930 level to aim for a test of 1.0970. A further rise toward 1.1010 is possible but will be challenging without support from major players. The most distant target would be 1.1050.

In the event of a decline, strong buyer interest is expected around 1.0870. If no significant demand emerges at this level, a deeper correction toward 1.0840 or even 1.0800 could provide new long opportunities.

GBP/USD Technical Outlook

For GBP/USD, buyers need to break through the nearest resistance at 1.2960 to target 1.3010, where further progress will be difficult. The most ambitious target would be 1.3040.

If the pair moves downward, bears will attempt to regain control at 1.2940. A successful breakdown of this area would deal a significant blow to the bulls, pushing GBP/USD down to 1.2915 with a potential move toward 1.2875.

Jakub Novak,
Analytical expert of InstaForex
© 2007-2025
Select timeframe
5
min
15
min
30
min
1
hour
4
hours
1
day
1
week
Earn on cryptocurrency rate changes with InstaForex
Download MetaTrader 4 and open your first trade
  • Grand Choice
    Contest by
    InstaForex
    InstaForex always strives to help you
    fulfill your biggest dreams.
    JOIN CONTEST

Recommended Stories

Why Gold Is Falling for the Third Consecutive Day

Gold is declining for the third straight day amid signs of potential progress in trade negotiations between the U.S. and several other countries, which is dampening demand for safe-haven assets—even

Jakub Novak 11:40 2025-05-01 UTC+2

The Japanese Yen Has Declined Sharply — Here's Why

The yen fell sharply against the dollar and bond yields declined after the Bank of Japan (BoJ) left interest rates unchanged and pushed back the expected timeline for hitting

Jakub Novak 11:31 2025-05-01 UTC+2

The Eurozone Continues to Deliver Unexpected Results

According to the latest data, the eurozone economy grew more than expected at the beginning of the year, although it has yet to fully feel the impact of the U.S

Jakub Novak 09:13 2025-05-01 UTC+2

Why Did the Dollar Rise on Weak U.S. GDP Data?

The U.S. dollar completely ignored the sharp GDP contraction in the first quarter of this year, indicating that traders and investors are already prepared for a worse scenario than just

Jakub Novak 09:06 2025-05-01 UTC+2

What to Watch on May 1? A Breakdown of Fundamental Events for Beginners

There are relatively few macroeconomic events scheduled for Thursday, but that no longer matters much. Yesterday, there were plenty of important publications from the Eurozone, Germany, and the U.S. Even

Paolo Greco 06:50 2025-05-01 UTC+2

GBP/USD Overview on May 1, 2025

The GBP/USD currency pair continued its slight decline on Wednesday. The U.S. currency lost nearly 150 points on Monday without any visible reason. Therefore, the 80-point rise over Tuesday

Paolo Greco 06:34 2025-05-01 UTC+2

EUR/USD Overview on May 1, 2025

The EUR/USD currency pair continued trading within the same sideways channel of 1.1321–1.1426 on Wednesday, clearly visible on the hourly time frame. Despite a massive amount of macroeconomic data from

Paolo Greco 06:30 2025-05-01 UTC+2

100 Days of Trump's Presidency

While the dollar prepares for key economic data that could determine the Federal Reserve's next course of action, Donald Trump reflected on his first 100 days as President

Jakub Novak 13:31 2025-04-30 UTC+2

USD/CAD: The Pair Consolidates Under Pressure

USD/CAD is showing sideways movement, with spot prices currently trading around the 1.3840 level. The decline in crude oil prices to a three-week low, amid concerns that a full-scale trade

Irina Yanina 13:26 2025-04-30 UTC+2

Canadian Dollar Preparing for a Breakout

Retail sales in Canada fell by 0.4% month-over-month in February but rebounded in March with a strong increase of 0.7%. On a year-over-year basis, retail sales declined to 4.7%

Kuvat Raharjo 13:09 2025-04-30 UTC+2
Can't speak right now?
Ask your question in the chat.
Widget callback
 

Dear visitor,

Your IP address shows that you are currently located in the USA. If you are a resident of the United States, you are prohibited from using the services of InstaFintech Group including online trading, online transfers, deposit/withdrawal of funds, etc.

If you think you are seeing this message by mistake and your location is not the US, kindly proceed to the website. Otherwise, you must leave the website in order to comply with government restrictions.

Why does your IP address show your location as the USA?

  • - you are using a VPN provided by a hosting company based in the United States;
  • - your IP does not have proper WHOIS records;
  • - an error occurred in the WHOIS geolocation database.

Please confirm whether you are a US resident or not by clicking the relevant button below. If you choose the wrong option, being a US resident, you will not be able to open an account with InstaForex anyway.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this message.