German business climate dives, euro shrugs

German Ifo Index slides

The week wrapped up on a sour note out of Germany, as the Ifo Business Climate Index fell sharply in March. The headline reading came in at 90.8, down from 98.5 in February. The decline was glaringly apparent in the expectations component, which plunged from 99.2 to 85.1 points.

Germany had been enjoying a robust rebound recently, but the crisis in Ukraine has dramatically changed for the worse the economic outlook for the economy. Energy and commodity prices have been soaring and stagflation remains a scary scenario for central banks everywhere, including the ECB. The war will only exacerbate supply chain disruptions, which started in the emergence from the dark days of Covid.

The German economy is highly dependent on Russian energy imports, and the export-reliant economy is vulnerable to energy disruptions and a potential downturn in global demand. Germany could report a contraction in growth in the first quarter, which would mean that technically the country is in recession since Q4 showed negative growth. If Germany continues to post weak numbers, it will weigh on the eurozone growth and on the euro.

In the US, unemployment claims fell to 187 thousand, its lowest level since 1969. The numbers point to a robust labor market, as companies continue to struggle to find enough workers to fill openings. Federal Reserve Chair Powell and other Fed officials continue to convey a hawkish tone, as the Fed seeks to reassure the markets that it is bent on wrestling down inflationary pressures, which have hit 40-year highs.

.

EUR/USD Technical

  • 1.0923 is the first line of support, followed by 1.0794
  • There is weak resistance at 1.1030, followed by 1.1159

Content 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 Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. If you would like to reproduce or redistribute any of the content found on MarketPulse, an award winning forex, commodities and global indices analysis and news site service produced by OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc., please access the RSS feed or contact us at info@marketpulse.com. Visit https://www.marketpulse.com/ to find out more about the beat of the global markets. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.

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.