EUR/USD is slightly lower on Friday. In the European session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0883, down 0.21%. The euro continues to look sharp and is poised to record its fifth winning week in a row. Eurozone headline inflation fell sharply, but the core rate ticked higher. In the US, the Core PCE Price Index was within expectations.

Eurozone CPI falls to 6.9%

ECB policy makers must be pinching themselves today, after eurozone headline inflation tumbled to 6.9% in March, down from 8.5% in February and below the 7.1% estimate. The massive drop was driven by the sharp decline in energy prices. Inflation hasn’t been below 7% since February 2022, but the news was not all good, as March core inflation accelerated to a record 7.5%, up from 7.4% in February. Core inflation is seen as a more accurate gauge of inflation trends, which could spell trouble for the ECB in its battle to contain inflation.

The ECB didn’t flinch from hiking rates by 50 basis points earlier in the month, even though it was in the midst of the banking crisis. With core inflation remaining stubbornly high, the central bank will have to remain aggressive with its rate path. ECB President Lagarde has suggested that the banking crisis, which shook the financial markets, could dampen demand and lower inflation, but so far, that hasn’t been the case with core inflation.

Core Price PCE softens to 0.3%

What can we expect from the Federal Reserve? Market pricing has been on a roller-coaster. It was only a few weeks ago that Jerome Powell’s hawkish testimony on the Hill had the markets expecting a 50-basis point hike, but the banking crisis squelched any thoughts of an oversize hike. The likelihood of a 25-bp hike is currently at 57% and a pause at 43%, according to the CME Group. The core PCE price index dropped to 0.3% m/m in February, vs. 0.5% in January and the estimate of 0.4%. On an annualized basis, the index ticked lower to 4.6%, in February, vs. 4.7% in January, which was also the estimate. This is within expectations and thus unlikely to have any impact on the Fed rate decision. EUR/USD showed little reaction to the release.

.

EUR/USD Technical

• EUR/USD faces resistance at 1.0916, followed by 1.1072
• There is support at 1.0774 and 1.0618

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.

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.

Latest posts by Kenny Fisher (see all)

• SEO Powered Content & PR Distribution. Get Amplified Today.
• Platoblockchain. Web3 Metaverse Intelligence. Knowledge Amplified. Access Here.
• Source: https://www.marketpulse.com/forex/eur-usd-edges-lower-as-eurozone-inflation-slides/kfisher