Euro hovers near four-year high amid positive sentiment
The euro rose in European trade on Wednesday against a basket of major rivals, extending gains for the fifth straight session against the dollar, and about to hit a four-year peak as the risk appetite rebounded as the Israel-Iran ceasefire holds.
The odds of an ECB interest rate cut in July dropped considerably as investors await more clues on the future path of monetary policies.
The Price
The EUR/USD price rose 0.2% to $1.1632, with a session-low at $1.1604.
The euro closed up 0.3% against the dollar on Tuesday, the fourth profit in a row, marking a four-year high at $1.1641 after the Israel-Iran ceasefire.
US Dollar
The dollar index fell over 0.15% on Wednesday, extending losses for the third straight loss against a basket of major rivals.
As the Israel-Iran ceasefire holds, the dollar fell after bearish remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell boosted the odds of upcoming rate cuts.
European Rates
ECB President Christine Lagarde hinted at the possible end of the current cycle of policy easing, which was in response to a combined shock such as the Covid 19 pandemic, the Ukrainian war, and the energy crisis.
According to a Reuters source, most ECB members now aim at holding interest rates unchanged in July, with the global markets now expecting just an additional 25 basis points of rate cuts by the end of the year.
The odds of a 0.25% ECB rate cut in July now stood below 30%, with traders awaiting more eurozone data and remarks by ECB officials to gather more clues.
Aussie keeps rising on Israel-Iran truce
The Australian dollar rose in Asian trade on Wednesday on track for the third straight profit against the US dollar, as the risk appetite improved in the markets following the Israel-Iran ceasefire.
Aussie’s gains are stymied by weak inflation data in Australia, boosting the odds of an RBA interest rate cut in July.
The Price
The AUD/USD price rose 0.25% today to $0.6508, with a session-low at $0.6488.
The Aussie rose 0.45% on Tuesday against the US dollar, the second profit in a row following the Israel-Iran ceasefire.
US Dollar
The dollar index fell 0.15% on Wednesday, expanding the losses for the third straight session against a basket of major rivals.
The US dollar has been hurt by bearish remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, boosting the odds of a rate cut in the second half of the year.
Australian Inflation
Australia’s consumer prices rose 2.1% y/y in May, below estimates of 2.3%, and down from 2.4% in the previous reading.
Following the data, the markets now expect 70 basis points of interest rate cuts overall by the Reserve Bank of Australia by the end of the year.
The odds of a 0.25% rate cut in July rose from 65% to 75%.
The RBA cut interest rates twice since February to 3.85%, as inflation slowed to the 2-3T target.
Ripple rallies 7% as risk appetite rebounds
Ripple rose on Tuesday as most cryptocurrencies rebounded with investors shunning safe havens and flocking to riskier assets.
It comes amid optimism about the Israel-Iran ceasefire, backed strongly with US President Donald Trump.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell testified ahead of Congress that the Federal Reserve isn’t in a hurry to cut interest rates.
Trump continued his attacks against Powell and said he hoped Congress would take “this stubborn and stupid person” into account, adding that America will pay the price of “his stupidity” for many years to come.
Trump said there’s inflation in the US and the economy is doing great, and asked once more for interest rates to be down by two or three percentage points, which would save the government $800 billion a year.
Earlier data showed the Conference Board’s consumer sentiment survey in the US down 5.4 points to 93 points in June, while analysts expected 99.4.
Ripple
On trading, ripple surged 6.8% as of 21:09 GMT on Coinmarketcap to $2.21.