EUR/USD – Euro halts slide as current account impresses

EUR/USD has steadied on Friday, after posting considerable losses in two straight sessions. Currently, the pair is trading at 1.1447, down 0.04% on the day. It’s a quiet end to the week, with no key releases on the schedule. The eurozone current account surplus widened from EUR 21.3 billion to 23.9 billion. This easily beat the estimate of EUR 21.4 billion. In the U.S, Existing Home Sales is expected to drop to 5.29 million.

Italy’s draft budget has become a major headache for EU officials, and the crisis could escalate. The budget, which boosts public spending and cuts taxes, would raise the country’s deficit, is in breach of EU rules. The government has sent the budget for approval to the European Union. On Thursday, the European Commission told Italy that the budget was not acceptable, and demanded a reply by Monday. This could put Rome and Brussels on a collision course, and the sour mood has sent Italian bond prices higher. The yield on 10-year Italian bonds stands at 3.73%, some 3.33% over the equivalent German bonds, as the gap between the two continues to widen. Bond prices in Spain, Portugal and Greece have also increased, making investors nervous. Italy’s debt stands at an astounding 132% of GDP, and there is a real risk that the country’s financial woes could destabilize the entire eurozone.

The Federal Reserve minutes from the September meeting showed that a majority of members want to continue raising interest rates until the U.S economy shows signs of slowing down. However, the duration of a tighter policy remains unclear, as the minutes noted that “there is considerable uncertainty surrounding all estimates of the neutral federal funds rate.” This would likely be around the 3 percent level, which will not be reached until the second half of 2019, as the Fed has indicated it will raise rates three times next year. At the September meeting, the Fed removed the phrase “the stance of monetary policy remains accommodative”, which was considered outdated, given the policy of steady rate hikes. As rates approach the “neutral  rate”, we could see further changes in language at upcoming policy meetings.

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EUR/USD Fundamentals

Friday (October 19)

  • 4:00 Eurozone Current Account. Estimate 21.4B. Actual 23.9B
  • 10:00 US Existing Home Sales. Estimate 5.29M
  • 12:00 US FOMC Member Bostic Speaks

*All release times are DST

*Key events are in bold

EUR/USD for Friday, October 19, 2018

EUR/USD for October 19 at 5:35 DST

Open: 1.1452 High: 1.1470 Low: 1.1441 Close: 1.1447

EUR/USD Technical

S1 S2 S1 R1 R2 R3
1.1190 1.1300 1.1434 1.1553 1.1611 1.1735

EUR/USD was flat in the Asian session. The pair has posted small losses in European trade

  • 1.1434 is under pressure in support
  • 1.1553 is the next line of resistance

Further levels in both directions:

  • Below: 1.1434, 1.1300 and 1.1190
  • Above: 1.1553, 1.1611, 1.1735 and 1.1840
  • Current range: 1.1434 to 1.1553

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.