The EUR/USD currency pair experienced a retreat from its intraday high as the US Dollar managed to pare back some of its recent losses. The European Central Bank (ECB) President, Christine Lagarde, attempted to defend a hawkish bias but acknowledged that a significant portion of the journey toward curbing inflation had already been covered. Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell referred to the banking crisis as a means to alleviate pressure on the bank to raise interest rates, and Neel Kashkari from the Fed sounded defensive.
The sentiment surrounding the US-China relationship, as well as discussions on the US debt ceiling by President Joe Biden, influenced the recent market sentiment and the performance of the US Dollar. As a result, the EUR/USD pair extended its pullback from the intraday high, dropping to 1.0810 as the European session began on Monday. The cautious optimism regarding US-China ties and hopes of avoiding a US default contributed to the Euro's rebound. However, mixed comments from ECB President Christine Lagarde weighed on the major currency pair.
President Joe Biden, following the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Japan, expressed his expectation of improved ties with China in the near future, following a dispute over an alleged spy balloon that strained relations earlier this year. However, the banning of Micron Technology products by China raised concerns about ongoing tensions between the US and China. President Biden also expressed optimism about his discussion with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, stating that they would continue their talks on Monday.
During an interview on the Buitenhof TV show aired on Sunday, ECB President Christine Lagarde stated that significant progress had been made in taming inflation and bringing it back to the target set by the bank.
On the other hand, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged inflation concerns but mentioned that the recent banking crisis, which resulted in tighter credit standards, has relieved some pressure to raise interest rates. Nevertheless, market expectations for a 0.25% rate hike by the Fed in June have increased, and calls for a rate cut in 2023 have diminished due to positive US economic data from the previous week and hawkish comments from Fed officials.
From a technical standpoint, the price of the EUR/USD pair is currently within a bearish channel. Last week, the value experienced a rebound at the 50% Fibonacci area as predicted, but it appears to be continuing its downward trend. Our stance remains strongly bearish.