EUR/USD. March 18, 2020 – Euro fluctuates below 1.10

The euro continues the downward trend, having broken down the level of 1.10. The US dollar remains strong amid increased demand for dollar liquidity amid rising investor concerns about an impending recession in the global economy.

In addition, the greenback was supported by plans of the US presidential administration to introduce a full package of measures to support the economy, including making payments of $1,000 to all residents (to stimulate domestic demand).

At the same time, pressure on the euro continues to be provided by incredibly weak data on economic conditions and sentiments from ZEW in Germany. The first indicator fell in March to -43.1 points against the forecast of -30 points. The economic sentiment index fell to -49.5 points, although experts expected a decline to -26.4. The economic sentiment index in all countries of the eurozone amounted to -49.5 points against 10.4 a month earlier.

During the day, the EUR/USD pair will continue to fluctuate below the strong support level of 1.10.

EUR/USD. March 20, 2020 – Euro continues to weaken: 1.0650 and this is not the limit

The euro continues to update lows paired with the dollar. The EUR/USD quotes fell to the level of 1.0650, from where the euro made a corrective rebound to the level of 1.0755. The US dollar has been in high demand in recent days as investors flee into defensive assets amid the spread of panic in the markets due to the coronavirus.

A growing number of world central banks are softening their monetary policies: in particular, the Fed has already lowered the rate, the Bank of England, the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Central Bank of Indonesia, the Philippines, Brazil and Taiwan. Moreover, it became known that the US Federal Reserve, together with the central banks of Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Australia and other countries, launched swap lines to provide dollar liquidity directly to central banks for at least 6 months.

Will these measures be enough to reduce the level of panic on world markets, time will tell. And today you should pay attention to the release of data on changes in home sales in the secondary market in the United States, the balance of payments of the ECB in January and the report from Baker Hughes on the number of active oil drilling rigs.

EUR/USD. March 25, 2020 – Correction development.

The EUR/USD currency pair is at 1.0800, the updated three-day high at 1.0885, but then rolled back.

The price of EUR/USD rose by more than 500 points. Today the pair continues corrective growth. Apparently, buyers aimed at the level of 1.0900 and, most likely, will reach it in the near future.

Corrections for stretching the borders are at around 1.1000, EMA 21 and EMA 60. I observe the development of situations that await the return of sellers to the market.

EUR/USD. March 27, 2020 – Correction to the average

The currency pair EUR/USD dollar at yesterday's auction rose by more than 1,500 points, closing at 1.1025.
 
The price of EUR/USD reached a key resistance level of 1.1000, located at the convergence of the lines of exponential moving averages for 21 and 60 days - EMA 21 and EMA 60.
 
Strong growth of the pair was promoted by the report on unemployment in the USA published yesterday, which had a strong negative impact on the dollar against all major world currencies. At the same time, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell managed to calm the markets and US stock indices, including the industrial Dow Jones showed daily growth.
 
Despite the strong influence of fundamental factors, in the medium term I still expect the correction to complete and the downward trend to continue, as the European economy also suffers large losses, and investors traditionally prefer to hide from risks in the dollar.

Fundamental analysis for Brent, March 31

Brent crude oil remains under pressure, although quotes today are showing some recovery to $27.70 per barrel. However, this growth does not seem to be lasting, since the external background remains extremely negative for the recovery of the oil market.

The pressure on oil is exerted by significant restrictions on business activity in most countries of the world, as well as the threat of increased production in Saudi Arabia and Russia. On the previous day the Saudis announced their intention to increase oil exports by 600 thousand barrels per day since May. This suggests that Moscow and Riyadh do not intend to return to their previous agreements regarding oil production.

According to analysts, the global demand for oil in the II quarter of the year may fall by 12 million barrels per day, which will be the strongest decline for all time.

Thus, all current factors signal that in the coming months the situation in the oil market may worsen, and the price of «black gold» risks fixing itself below $20 per barrel.

EUR/USD. April 06, 2020 – The euro began to strengthen from the level of 1.0770

The euro suspended its decline at 1.0770 and rebounded to 1.08. Today the news background for the pair is quite calm, only data on the volume of industrial orders in Germany for February and the Sentix investor confidence index for April in the eurozone will be of interest. The first indicator decreased by 1.4% m/m against the previous growth of 4.8% m/m. Regarding the second indicator: analysts expect it to fall to -30.5 points from the previous value of -17.1.

At the end of last week, the United States provided data on unemployment in March: the indicator rose to 4.4% from 3.5% earlier, although it was predicted to rise only to 3.8%. The number of jobs outside the agricultural sector decreased by 701 thousand against the expectation of a decrease of 100 thousand. These data put pressure on the dollar, stopping its strengthening.

Today, the EUR/USD pair will not show strong price fluctuations: it is expected to move within the range of 1.0750-1.0850.

EUR/USD. April 08, 2020 – Euro consolidated at 1.09

The euro has stabilized in the range of 1.0830-1.0900. Market participants remain neutral in the absence of important macroeconomic publications. Today, one should pay attention only to the publication of the minutes of the previous meeting of the US Federal Reserve System, according to which it will be possible to understand whether all members of the monetary committee agree to sharp cuts in the Fed rate.

Also, this publication will allow to get acquainted with the Fed estimates regarding the extent of the recession in the US economy.

Yesterday, a videoconference of finance ministers of the eurozone member countries took place, which culminated in the failure of the participants to agree on cooperative measures to overcome the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

USD/CAD. April 10, 2020 – Canadian dollar is stable despite weak statistics

The USD/CAD pair continues to decline slightly, almost close to 1.3900. The Canadian currency is showing a strengthening, even despite the decline in oil quotes from the level of $35.40 to the area of $31.70 per barrel. Moreover, weak data on the labor market in Canada also did not have the proper negative impact on the «loonie».

According to statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics Canada, the number of jobs in March fell by 1.011 million, which significantly exceeded the previous record monthly drop of 125 thousand jobs in 2009. Unemployment in the country rose to 7.8% compared to 5.6% in previous months.

Business activity data also showed a significant decline. The Ivey Business Index fell from 54.1 in February to 26.0 in March.

Experts predict that in April the situation will only worsen, so the further strengthening of the Canadian dollar is in question. Today during the day the pair USD/CAD will consolidate near the level of 1.39.

Fundamental Review for April 14: China, Risk Assets, USA

Investor sentiment on global markets remains moderately optimistic after the release of statistics on China's trade. According to the PRC General Directorate of Customs, exports in March fell by 6.6% YoY after falling by 17% in February. Imports were down 0.9% after falling 4%.

Such dynamics indicate that business activity in the country began to recover after quarantine, which supported the appetite for risky assets in global financial markets. Additional support to risk is provided by a visible slowdown in the spread of coronavirus in the world. According to official sources, only 70 thousand new cases of the disease were detected yesterday.

However, investor sentiment may already worsen after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conference, at which representatives of the organization will present a revised forecast for the dynamics of the global economy in 2020. New data is not expected to please markets.

As for the United States, the banking reporting season is starting today: Wells Fargo and JP Morgan are expected to publish financial results. The US stock market may be under visible pressure if financial indicators do not meet the expectations of analysts.

EUR/USD. April 16, 2020 – Euro is declining, the dollar is gaining strength across the entire spectrum of the market

On Thursday, the euro continues to decline amid a general strengthening of the US dollar across the entire spectrum of the market and the flight from risky assets. Investor sentiment worsened after the publication of the IMF forecast on the dynamics of the global economy in 2020. The Fund noted that the decline in global GDP this year could reach 3% and become the most significant since the Great Depression in the 30-s of the last century.

The dollar is growing, even despite weak retail sales data and a sharp drop in US industrial production. According to official figures, the decline in industrial production amounted to 5.5% y/y, and the decrease in retail sales – 8.7%. Today, you should pay attention to the statistics on initial applications for unemployment benefits in the United States.

Thus, under current conditions, the EUR/USD pair is trading at 1.0850. During the day, the euro is likely to maintain its weak position.

Economic review for April 20, 2020

At the beginning of the week, mainly negative moods are observed on global exchanges: the US dollar is growing moderately, futures for the S&P 500 index are trading at a slight minus, and Asian indices are also declining.

The focus of markets remains the gradual abolition of quarantine measures in the United States and some European countries. However, this partial return to normal economic activity was announced last week, so it is unlikely that new reports of quarantine cancellation will be received with due optimism.
   
At the same time, the spread of infection in the world remains stable. Over the weekend, the increase in cases amounted to 80-85 thousand people per day. Worldwide, there are about 2.5 million cases of the disease.

Today is not rich in macroeconomic publications; only data on inflation in New Zealand and the trade balance in Japan can attract attention. The first indicator rose 0.8% in March and reach 2,5%. This country became the only one where inflation showed growth. Japan’s exports declined by 11.7% in March and trade surplus sinks by 90%.

It should also be taken into consideration the reduction in the base rate by the People's Bank of China from 4.05% to 3.85%.