EUR/GBP appreciates to near 0.8350, eyes on ECB officials

EUR/GBP gains ground ahead of the speeches from ECB’s Philip Lane and Piero Cipollone on Friday.
The Euro may face challenges as the ECB is widely expected to deliver another rate cut in October.
The Pound Sterling receives support as the BoE is expected to reduce rates more gradually compared to other central banks.

EUR/GBP retraces its recent losses from the previous session, trading around 0.8340 during Friday’s Asian hours. However, further gains may be limited, as the Euro’s performance against major currencies remains weak amid increasing speculation that the European Central Bank (ECB) could lower the Deposit Facility Rate for the second consecutive time next month. This would mark the ECB's third dovish move this year.

ECB Chief Economist Philip Lane will likely deliver the opening remarks at a conference focused on Fiscal Policy, Financial Sector Policy, and Economic Growth in Dublin, Ireland. Meanwhile, ECB board member Piero Cipollone will give a keynote speech at the "Economics of Payments XIII" conference, organized by the Austrian Central Bank.

According to a Reuters report, economists at HSBC anticipate that the ECB will reduce interest rates by 25 basis points at each meeting from October through next April. Meanwhile, Societe Generale economist Anatoli Annenkov suggested there is a case for front-loading the rate cuts, indicating a preference for more aggressive action earlier in the easing cycle.

On the GBP side, expectations that the Bank of England's (BoE) rate-cutting cycle will likely proceed more slowly than the ECB’s should continue to support the British Pound (GBP) and exert downward pressure on the EUR/GBP cross.

The BoE allotted 37.059 billion pounds ($49.52 billion) in seven-day funds during its weekly short-term repo on Thursday, down from last week’s record of 44.523 billion pounds. Repos, or repurchase agreements, allow banks to temporarily exchange government bonds for central bank cash, helping to maintain market interest rates in line with the BoE’s policy rate, according to Reuters.

Interest rates FAQs

What are interest rates?

Interest rates are charged by financial institutions on loans to borrowers and are paid as interest to savers and depositors. They are influenced by base lending rates, which are set by central banks in response to changes in the economy. Central banks normally have a mandate to ensure price stability, which in most cases means targeting a core inflation rate of around 2%. If inflation falls below target the central bank may cut base lending rates, with a view to stimulating lending and boosting the economy. If inflation rises substantially above 2% it normally results in the central bank raising base lending rates in an attempt to lower inflation.

How do interest rates impact currencies?

Higher interest rates generally help strengthen a country’s currency as they make it a more attractive place for global investors to park their money.

How do interest rates influence the price of Gold?

Higher interest rates overall weigh on the price of Gold because they increase the opportunity cost of holding Gold instead of investing in an interest-bearing asset or placing cash in the bank. If interest rates are high that usually pushes up the price of the US Dollar (USD), and since Gold is priced in Dollars, this has the effect of lowering the price of Gold.

What is the Fed Funds rate?

The Fed funds rate is the overnight rate at which US banks lend to each other. It is the oft-quoted headline rate set by the Federal Reserve at its FOMC meetings. It is set as a range, for example 4.75%-5.00%, though the upper limit (in that case 5.00%) is the quoted figure. Market expectations for future Fed funds rate are tracked by the CME FedWatch tool, which shapes how many financial markets behave in anticipation of future Federal Reserve monetary policy decisions.

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