Euro Strengthens Amid Debt-resolution Hopes
02 December 2011 - 10:29PM
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The euro rallied in early deals on Friday as European stocks
traded notably higher, braced by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's
comments that European nations are working toward setting up a
fiscal union with rigorous budgetary oversight to resolve the
Eurozone's debt crisis.
Merkel said before the parliament that the eurozone nations must
urgently come together to restore confidence in the market. While
raising her continuous objection about the common eurobonds, the
German leader stressed the "need to change the treaties or create
new treaties," bringing in budget discipline and effective crisis
management mechanism.
In a major speech in the Southern French port city of Toulon,
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday that France and
Germany must come together to ensure stability at the heart of
Europe. The meeting would come just ahead of a summit of European
leaders in Brussels on December 9, where possible changes to the EU
treaties will be on the agenda.
While admitting that the sovereign debt crisis is the biggest
challenge that Europe has ever experienced, Sarkozy said he will
meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel next Monday in Paris and make
proposals to guarantee Europe's future.
Meanwhile, Sarkozy meets Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron
today to discuss measures that will help contain Europe's mounting
debt crisis.
Thus far, the U.K. FTSE 100 index advanced 1.47 percent,
Germany's DAX jumped 1.4 percent and France's CAC-40 index rose to
1.70 percent.
Data released in the region was not so encouraging, with the
producer price inflation in the euro area easing more than
economists expected in October.
According to the report released by statistical office Eurostat
showed that the producer price inflation, excluding construction,
eased to 5.5 percent in October from 5.8 percent in September.
Economists expected a growth rate of 5.6 percent for October.
On a monthly basis, producer prices edged up 0.1 percent in
October, slower than the previous month's 0.3 percent rise.
Economists were looking for a 0.2 percent growth.
Extending its 2-day winning streak, the euro advanced to a
1-week high of 1.2376 against the Swiss franc around 6:00 am ET.
The 1-hour RSI is trading above the overbought territory and the
pair is expected to ease its recent strength in the near-term.
Retail sales in Switzerland remained unchanged on an annual
basis in October in line with economists' expectations, the Federal
Statistical Office said today. In nominal terms, retail sales
dropped 3.3 percent year-on-year. On a seasonally adjusted
month-on-month basis, sales rose 2.5 percent in real terms and 1.6
percent nominally.
The euro advanced to more than a 2-week high of 105.15 against
the yen around 6:20 am ET. The immediate resistance for the pair
could be at its 30-day SMA of 105.45 and a move above that level
could help testing the 23.6 percent of the retracement level around
106.20.
The monetary base in Japan surged 19.5 percent on year in
November, the Bank of Japan said early in the day, standing at
118.497 trillion yen. That follows the 17.0 percent annual
expansion in October. Seasonally adjusted, the monetary base spiked
an annualized 41.2 percent to 121.191 trillion yen.
Against the pound, the single currency strengthened to a 4-day
high of 0.8607 around 4:15 am ET and the pair was hovering around
the 0.86 level thereafter. On the upside, the euro-pound pair may
test the neck line of a double bottom formed in the daily chart,
around the 0.8650 level.
The seasonally adjusted UK Markit/ Chartered Institute of
Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) purchasing managers' index for the
construction sector posted 52.3 in November, down from 53.9 in
October. A reading above 50 indicates expansion of the sector.
After having tested a peak around the 1.34 level against the
dollar, the European currency moved sideways after 4:15 am ET. The
euro-greenback pair is presently worth 1.3484 with 1.3530 seen as
the next likely resistance level.
Traders are reluctant to take positions ahead of the U.S. Labor
Department's crucial jobs report, which is scheduled for release at
8:30 am ET. The report is expected to show that employment
increased by about 130,000 jobs in November, although the
unemployment rate is expected to remain at 9.0 percent.
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