MarketPulse | Feb 04, 2016 04:53AM ET
EUR/USD is trading above the 1.11 line in Thursday’s European session, following sharp gains a day earlier. On the release front, there are no major Eurozone events. ECB President Mario Draghi will deliver remarks at an event in Frankfurt. In the US, today’s key event is Unemployment Claims, with the indicator expected to remain steady at 279 thousand.
The euro enjoyed outstanding gains on Wednesday, climbing 180 points and pushing above the 1.11 line. This marked the euro’s highest level since late October. EUR/USD took full advantage of disappointing US numbers. ADP Nonfarm Payrolls, which precedes the official NFP report on Friday, dropped to 205 thousand in January, compared to 257 thousand a month earlier. The figure did beat the estimate of 193 thousand, but recent employment data has been lukewarm, raising eyebrows in the markets about the health of the US economy. There was no relief from ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI, a key gauge of the services sector. The index dipped to 53.2 points in January, its worst showing since March 2014. We’ll get another look at US job numbers later on Thursday, with the release of Unemployment Claims. A weak reading could help the euro continue to rally against the greenback.
A robust labor market in the second half of 2015 was a key factor in the Federal Reserve decision to raise interest rates in December, but employment numbers have been lukewarm in early 2016. Next up is Unemployment Claims, followed by Nonfarm Payrolls on Friday. EUR/USD was up sharply following the ADP report, and if the upcoming employment indicators are soft, this trend could continue. Employment numbers will be closely monitored by the Fed, which will have to decide if the economy is ready for another rate increase in March. In the heady days following the Fed’s historic rate hike, there was talk of up to four rate hikes in 2016, but this appears unlikely, given current economic conditions and the collapse of oil prices, which has kept low inflation in check.
Thursday (Feb. 4)
Upcoming Key Events
Friday (Feb. 5)
*Key events are in bold
*All release times are EST
EUR/USD for Thursday, February 4, 2016
EUR/USD February 4 at 3:40 EST
Open: 1.1093 Low: 1.1069 High: 1.1137 Close: 1.1117
EUR/USD Technical
S1 | S2 | S1 | R1 | R2 | R3 |
1.0847 | 1.0941 | 1.1087 | 1.1172 | 1.1214 | 1.1349 |
Further levels in both directions:
OANDA’s Open Positions Ratio
EUR/USD has shown little movement, despite sharp gains by the pair on Wednesday. Short positions retain a strong majority of positions (61%). This points to trader bias towards the euro reversing directions and heading lower.
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