- EUR/USD loses ground possibly due to the escalated geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
- US Initial Jobless Claims increased to 221K against the expected 214K.
- Eurozone Retail Sales (YoY) is expected to decrease by 1.3% in February, compared to 1.0% prior.
EUR/USD persists in its downward movement that commenced on Thursday, edging closer to 1.0830 during Friday's Asian trading hours. The US Dollar (USD) remains bolstered by market caution, likely influenced by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
This increase in tension comes in the wake of Iran's pledge to retaliate against Israel's assault on Iran's embassy in Syria, resulting in the fatalities of Iranian military personnel. Furthermore, reports highlighting heightened threats against Israeli embassies in the United States (US) by Iran have intensified market apprehensions.
However, the US Dollar (USD) faced downward pressure due to weaker employment data from the United States (US) on Thursday, supporting the EUR/USD pair. Neutral remarks from several Federal Reserve officials likely mitigated the downward trend of the US Dollar.
US Initial Jobless Claims for the week ended March 29 increased by 9,000 to 221,000, compared to the previous week's reading of 212,000, albeit below the market consensus of 214,000. Additionally, US Challenger Job Cuts for March stood at 90.309K, exceeding the previous reading of 84.638K.
On the other side, the Eurostat Producer Price Index (PPI) recorded a decline of 1.0% in February, surpassing both the expected and previous decreases of 0.7% and 0.9%, respectively. On a year-over-year basis, the index fell by 8.3%, slightly lower than the anticipated 8.6% decrease but higher than the 8.0% decline seen previously. Additionally, the HCOB Composite PMI demonstrated growth, rising to 50.3 from the previous reading of 49.9.
Recent data indicates that the annual inflation rate in the Eurozone declined more than anticipated in March. This has led to speculation that the European Central Bank (ECB) may consider cutting interest rates in June.
Traders await Germany’s Factory Orders and Eurozone Retail Sales on Friday. From the United States, Average Hourly Earnings and Nonfarm Payrolls are scheduled to be eyed.
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