EUR/USD softens to near 1.1595 in Friday’s Asian session, losing 0.10% on the day.
Fed’s Powell speech could offer some insight on the near-term path for interest rates.
Eurozone business activity accelerated in August.
The EUR/USD pair attracts some sellers to around 1.1595 during the Asian trading hours on Friday, pressured by a rebound in the US Dollar (USD). The German Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter (Q2) is due later on Friday. The attention will shift to the Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell’s speech, with traders paring back wagers on an imminent interest-rate cut.
The soft US July jobs report and big downward revisions to hiring in May and June bolstered hopes of a rate reduction in the Fed September meeting. However, cautious comments from Fed officials and US economic data flashing inflationary risks have tempered those expectations and lifted the Greenback. Still, traders are now pricing in nearly a 75% odds of a 25 basis points (bps) rate cut next month, down from 92% a week earlier, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell's speech at the Jackson Hole economic conference on Friday could offer some hints as to whether the US central bank will cut interest rates in September. Policymakers will get another month's data on inflation and employment before deciding on interest rates, so Powell may state that he and his colleagues are leaving their options open. A dovish tilt could undermine the USD and create a tailwind for the EUR/USD pair in the near term.
Across the pond, the flash HCOB PMI showed that business activity in August showed an improvement in Eurozone. The HCOB Manufacturing PMI rose to 50.5 in August from 49.8 in July. The figure came in better than the estimations of 49.5. Services PMI eased to 50.7 in August versus 51.0 prior, stronger than the 50.8 expected.
The European Central Bank (ECB) policymakers are anticipated to leave the deposit rate at 2.0% when they meet in September after their summer break, extending a pause that began last month following a yearlong campaign of cuts.
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