DAX Steady on Higher German, Eurozone Services PMI

The DAX Index has edged lower on Wednesday, after an uneventful Tuesday session. Currently, the DAX is trading at 12,242.25. On the release front, services reports are in focus. German Final Services PMI improved to 55.6, matching the forecast. Eurozone Final Services PMI climbed to 56.5, short of the forecast of 56.0 points. In the US, the Federal Reserve releases its minutes from the March policy meeting. On Thursday, Germany releases Factory Orders, and ECB President Mario Draghi speaks at a conference in Frankfurt.

Eurozone indicators continue to point upwards, indicative of an improving eurozone economy. In March, German and Eurozone Services PMIs pointed to expansion. The German release hit a 15-month high, while the Eurozone indicator jumped to a 71-month high, although it missed expectations. The euro shrugged off these strong numbers, as it continues to have an uneventful week.  EUR/USD dropped 1.9 percent last week, marking its worst weekly decline since November 2016. Soft inflation numbers late in the week disappointed the markets and soured sentiment on the continental currency. German Preliminary CPI posted a weak gain of 0.2%, short of the forecast of 0.4%. This was followed by Eurozone Flash CPI Estimate, which slipped to 1.5%, missing the forecast of 1.8%. Although inflation levels have improved to their highest levels in years, they remain below the ECB target of 2.0%, so the central bank still has some breathing room and isn’t under immediate pressure to tighten monetary policy. The ECB’s asset purchase program of EUR 60 billion/mth is scheduled to expire in December.

What’s next for the Federal Reserve? With the US economy continuing to perform well, the discussions around the monetary policy tables are not whether the Fed will raise rates, but how many hikes we will see in 2017. The markets will be paying close attention to the minutes of the March meeting, when the Fed raised rates by a quarter-point, to a range of 0.75%-1.00%. Any hints about the timing of the next hike, as well as the tone of the minutes are factors which could move the currency markets on Wednesday. The markets considered the rate statement overly cautious, and this sentiment sent the US dollar broadly lower in March. If the reaction to the minutes is one of disappointment, the dollar could again experience broad losses.

Dollar Direction Depends on FOMC and U.S/China Summit

Economic Calendar

Wednesday (April 5)

  • 3:15 Spanish Services PMI. Estimate 57.2. Actual 57.4
  • 3:45 Italian Services PMI. Estimate 54.3. Actual 52.9
  • 3:50 French Final Services PMI. Estimate 58.5. Actual 57.5
  • 3:55 German Final Services PMI. Estimate 55.6. Actual 55.6
  • 4:00 Eurozone Final Services PMI. Estimate 56.5. Actual 56.0
  • 14:00 US FOMC Meeting Minutes

Upcoming Key Events

Thursday (April 6)

  • 2:00 German Factory Orders. Estimate 3.5%
  • 4:10 Eurozone Retail PMI
  • Tentative – Spanish 10-y Bond Auction
  • Tentative – French 10-y Bond Auction
  • 7:30 ECB Monetary Policy Meeting Accounts
  • 16:00 ECB President Mario Draghi Speech

*All release times are EST

*Key events are in bold

DAX, Wednesday, April 5 at 6:30 EST

Open: 12,282.75 High: 12,292.50 Low: 12,239.00 Close: 12,242.25

This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.

Kenny Fisher

Kenny Fisher

Market Analyst at OANDA
A highly experienced financial market analyst with a focus on fundamental analysis, Kenneth Fisher’s daily commentary covers a broad range of markets including forex, equities and commodities. His work has been published in several major online financial publications including Investing.com, Seeking Alpha and FXStreet. Based in Israel, Kenny has been a MarketPulse contributor since 2012.