Euro remains under pressure near 1.0550, looks at US PCE

• The Euro remains unable to pick up pace vs. the US Dollar.
• European stocks trade without clear direction so far on Friday.
• Markets’ attention will be on the US inflation tracked by the PCE.

So far, the Euro (EUR) appears fragile vs. the US Dollar (USD), prompting EUR/USD to trade within a tight range around the mid-1.0500s in the wake of the opening bell in Europe on Friday.

In the interim, the Greenback manages to keep the trade in the upper end of the weekly range near 106.70 when measured by the USD Index (DXY). The so-far tepid advance in the Dollar comes in tandem with the equally lacklustre uptick in US yields across different time frames.

In the realm of monetary policy, a growing consensus has formed amongst market participants that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will preserve its present stance of retaining interest rates unchanged at the meeting on November 1. The door remains open, however, to a potential rate hike in December, a view that appears well propped up by the resilience of the US economy and still elevated inflation.

Back to the European Central Bank (ECB), there were no surprises at its event on Thursday following a unanimous hold. President Christine Lagarde reiterated (once again) that there is still job to be done regarding inflation, while it is expected that inflation will remain too high for too long. Adding a bearish tone to the meeting, Lagarde acknowledged that risks to the outlook appear tilted to the downside.

On the domestic calendar, the ECB will release its Survey of Professional Forecasters (SPF).

In the US, the salient event will be the publication of inflation figures tracked by the PCE and Core PCE for the month of September followed by Personal Income, Personal Spending and final readings of the Michigan Consumer Sentiment.

Daily digest market movers: Euro appears depressed post-ECB

• The EUR maintains the offered bias vs. the USD on Friday.
• US and German yields attempt a mild bounce so far.
• The Fed could still hike rates by 25 bps in December.
• Investors continue to digest the ECB’s rate decision.
• Fears of an extension of the Middle East crisis appear on the rise.
• FX intervention keeps gyrating around USD/JPY.
• Consumer Confidence in France ticked higher to 84 in October.
• US PCE figures take centre stage across the pond on Friday.

Technical Analysis: There is still scope for further losses in Euro

EUR/USD remains stuck around 1.0550 amidst a persistent selling bias.

If the selling trend continues, immediate support might be found at the October 13 low of 1.0495, followed by the October 3 low of 1.0448 before reaching the round level of 1.0400. If this zone is breached, the pair may continue to decline towards the November 30, 2022 low of 1.0290 and the 2022 low of 1.0222 recorded on November 21, 2022.

If bulls reclaim control, EUR/USD will face first resistance at the October 24 high of 1.0694, which appears to be supported by the proximity of the temporary 55-day Simple Moving Average (SMA). The breakout of this zone exposes the high of 1.0767 on September 12, which precedes the key 200-day SMA at 1.0812. Once this level is surpassed, it may imply a further push for the August 30 height of 1.0945, prior hitting the psychological 1.1000 mark. If the upward trend continues, the August 10 record of 1.1064 may be challenged, followed by the July 27 high of 1.1149, and potentially even the July 18 peak of 1.1275.

As long as the EUR/USD remains below the 200-day SMA, the pair may remain under pressure.