- EUR/USD posts a fresh year-to-date high near 1.0670 as the US Dollar weakens amid uncertainty over US growth prospects.
- US President Trump reiterates that reciprocal tariffs to take effect on April 2.
- The ECB is expected to reduce interest rates by 25 bps on Thursday.
EUR/USD extends the prior day’s strong upside move to near 1.0700 in European trading hours on Wednesday, the highest level seen this year. The major currency pair strengthens as investors dump the US Dollar (USD) amid growing concerns about the United States (US) economic outlook. The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, slides to an over three-month low of 105.15.
A slew of events has changed the perception of market participants towards United States (US) President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda. Investors are anticipating that Trump tariffs will slow down US economic growth rather than being pro-growth and inflationary for the economy, which they had projected earlier.
“Given the tight linkages in supply chains across the United States, Mexico, and Canada (USMCA) countries – most notably in the auto industry – tariffs left on for more than a matter of a week or two are likely to have a substantial impact on growth,” Citi said in a report.
The bank also expects a 0.1% decline in the Q1 real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and expects the Federal Reserve (Fed) to resume its policy-easing cycle, which it paused in December, in the May meeting.
With tariffs now in effect, inflation cooling, equity markets declining, and consumer spending slowing, Citi expects the likelihood of a Fed rate cut in May has swelled.
Meanwhile, 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% on China took effect on Tuesday. Moreover, President Trump confirmed that reciprocal tariffs will be imposed from April 2 while addressing Congress on Tuesday.
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 Japanese Yen.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.95% | -0.43% | 0.21% | -0.57% | -0.55% | -0.54% | -0.27% | |
| EUR | 0.95% | 0.53% | 1.15% | 0.39% | 0.41% | 0.42% | 0.69% | |
| GBP | 0.43% | -0.53% | 0.61% | -0.14% | -0.13% | -0.12% | 0.16% | |
| JPY | -0.21% | -1.15% | -0.61% | -0.77% | -0.75% | -0.76% | -0.47% | |
| CAD | 0.57% | -0.39% | 0.14% | 0.77% | 0.02% | 0.04% | 0.30% | |
| AUD | 0.55% | -0.41% | 0.13% | 0.75% | -0.02% | 0.00% | 0.28% | |
| NZD | 0.54% | -0.42% | 0.12% | 0.76% | -0.04% | -0.01% | 0.28% | |
| CHF | 0.27% | -0.69% | -0.16% | 0.47% | -0.30% | -0.28% | -0.28% |
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).
Daily digest market movers: EUR/USD refreshes over three-month high ahead of ECB’s policy meeting
- EUR/USD stays firm while investors await the European Central Bank’s (ECB) monetary policy decision, which will be announced on Thursday. The ECB is almost certain to cut its Deposit Facility Rate by 25 basis points (bps) for the fifth time in a row. Therefore, investors will pay close attention to ECB President Christine Lagarde’s press conference after the policy meeting.
- Lagarde is expected to ensure that the monetary policy path is clear but won’t provide a specific monetary expansion plan. Investors would like to know the impact of Trump tariffs and Germany’s debt restructuring to boost defense spending and uplift economic growth in the Eurozone.
- On Tuesday, Germany’s likely next chancellor, Frederich Merz, and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) agreed to create a 500 billion Euro (EUR) infrastructure fund and widen the borrowing limit. Such reforms could escalate inflation in the Eurozone economy. The impact of German debt reforms has resulted in an increase in demand for the Euro.
- Meanwhile, Trump’s tariff agenda could spoil the party for Euro bulls as the Eurozone’s locomotive, Germany, is one of the major auto exporters to the US. Trump has already announced that he will charge 25% tariffs on foreign cars, which is currently 2.5% on automobiles from Germany.
- In Wednesday’s session, investors will focus on the US ADP Employment Change and the ISM Services data for February, which will be published during the North American session. The economic data will influence market expectations for the Fed’s monetary policy outlook.
Technical Analysis: EUR/USD extends upside above 200-day EMA
EUR/USD posts a fresh over three-month high near 1.0700, recovering above the 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) for the first time since early November. The major currency pair strengthened on Tuesday after a decisive breakout above the January 27 high of 1.0533.
The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) jumps above 60.00. A bullish momentum would trigger if the RSI stays above that level.
Looking down, the January 27 high of 1.0533 will act as the major support zone for the pair. Conversely, the November 6 high of 1.0937 will be the key barrier for the Euro bulls.
Economic Indicator
ECB Rate On Deposit Facility
One of the European Central Bank‘s three key interest rates, the rate on the deposit facility, is the rate at which banks earn interest when they deposit funds with the ECB. It is announced by the European Central Bank at each of its eight scheduled annual meetings.
Read more.
Next release: Thu Mar 06, 2025 13:15
Frequency: Irregular
Consensus: 2.5%
Previous: 2.75%
Source: European Central Bank
