The EUR/USD pair drifts lower for the second straight day on Tuesday and drops to the 1.0890 area in the last hour, back closer to its lowest level since August 8 touched the previous day. Bearish traders, however, need to wait for a break below the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) before placing fresh bets ahead of the key central bank event risk.
The European Central Bank (ECB) is scheduled to announce its policy decision on Thursday and is expected to cut interest rates again for the third time this easing cycle amid mounting concerns over sluggish growth. Furthermore, inflation in the Eurozone fell below the ECB's 2% target for the first time since 2021 and backs the case for further policy easing. This, in turn, undermines the shared currency, which, along with a bullish US Dollar (USD), turns out to be a key factor weighing on the EUR/USD pair.
The USD Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback against a basket of currencies, stands tall near a two-month top amid firming expectations for a less aggressive policy easing by the Federal Reserve (Fed). In fact, the markets have now fully priced out the possibility of another oversized Fed rate cut in November, which keeps the US Treasury bond yields elevated. Moreover, geopolitical risks benefit the safe-haven buck and support prospects for a further depreciating move for the EUR/USD pair.
Traders now look forward to Tuesday's economic docket – featuring the release of the German ZEW Economic Sentiment Index and Eurozone Industrial Production figures. Later during the North American session, the Empire State Manufacturing Index and speeches by influential FOMC members will drive the USD demand, which, in turn, should provide short-term impetus to the EUR/USD pair.
At each of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) eight governing council meetings, the ECB releases a short statement explaining its monetary policy decision, in light of its goal of meeting its inflation target. The statement may influence the volatility of the Euro (EUR) and determine a short-term positive or negative trend. A hawkish view is considered bullish for EUR, whereas a dovish view is considered bearish.
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Source: European Central Bank