The EUR/USD is wavering as traders continue to focus on the strong US inflation numbers and the recent Eurozone economic upgrade. It is trading at 1.2083, which is slightly above this week’s low of 1.2050.
US inflation rose in April
The American economic recovery is accelerating as the country continues to reopen. This, in turn, has led to higher prices, as evidenced by the recent CPI numbers published on Wednesday. According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, headline sales rose by 4.2% in April, the fastest rate since 2008. Core CPI, which strips the volatile food and energy prices, rose by 2.3%.
These numbers were bigger than what most analysts were expecting. They also surprised some Fed members like Vice Chairman, Richard Clarida. In a statement, he said that the number surprised him but that the prices were transitory. He said:
“If, contrary to our baseline view, demand relative to supply was excessive and persistent and pushed up inflation and inflation expectations to levels that were not potentially consistent with our mandate.”
Producer prices also surged, according to the bureau. The headline PPI rose from 4.2% in March to 6.2% in April. On a month-on-month basis, the prices rose by 0.6%. At the same time, the core PPI that excludes volatile products rose by 3.7% year-on-year. This performance was because of the surge in commodity prices and the rising demand.
The EUR/USD price is also reacting to an upgrade of the Eurozone economy by the European Commission. In a report, the commission said that the economy will grow by 4.3% this year and by 4.4% in the following year. This is substantially higher than
