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Commerzbank’s Thu Lan Nguyen notes the European Central Bank sounded slightly hawkish, but investors already price in two further hikes, leaving the Euro softer after President Lagarde avoided clear guidance. Nguyen argues whether hikes come in July or later still matters, as an earlier move would signal urgency, yet markets may see rapid tightening as a policy mistake and price in future cuts, limiting Euro support.
ECB timing debate clouds Euro outlook
“Basically, things turned out just as my colleague Michael had predicted in the morning: in our view the ECB sounded slightly hawkish yesterday. But that was not enough to lure investors out of hiding who are already pricing in two further rate hikes by the end of the year anyway. Accordingly, the euro ultimately edged slightly lower, as President Lagarde avoided sending a clear signal in favour of further rate hikes.”
“This was probably not the main reason for the upward move in EUR/USD over the course of yesterday’s trading – the decisive factor here was US President Trump’s statement that he had called off another military strike against Iran because a deal was virtually in the bag. However, it is likely to have contributed to positive euro sentiment. After all, the discussion shows that a rate hike in July is at least on the table.”
“One might argue: whether the next two rate hikes expected by the market take place in July and September, or in September and December, hardly makes a big difference and is therefore irrelevant for the euro. But it is not quite that simple. A second rate hike as early as July would suggest a certain urgency behind the tightening and would therefore have a somewhat hawkish flavour.”
“If the market shares this view, it is likely to price in a rapid correction in rates downwards at the long end, which would dilute – if not completely negate – the positive effect of the rate hike for the euro. So: the debate about the timing of the next rate hike is by no means irrelevant. The situation is more complex than it appears at first glance.”
