ECB hikes rates to 3.75%

Following the lead of the US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced its decision to hike rates by 25 basis points, taking interest rates in the Eurozone to 3.75% overnight. In the lead-up to the ECB meeting, there was some market speculation for a potential 50bps hike, which saw the EUR/USD trade to a 12-month high, reaching the 1.1095 price area.

During the press conference, President Lagarde highlighted that the ECB was not pausing on future rate hikes, but she indicated some “uncertainty in policy transmission” and that it was “sensible to return to more standard increment”. This led to the EUR/USD reversing strongly to trade lower and retest the 1.10 round number support level.

As the EUR/USD continues to fluctuate between the 1.10 and 1.11 price level, further upside potential could be limited, with the key resistance level at the 1.12 price area. If the DXY recovers in strength, look for significant correction to the downside on the EUR/USD with the next key support level at 1.08. However, confirmation for the downward move would be signaled only if the price breaks below the crucial level of 1.095 which is a confluence of levels with the 23.60% Fibonacci retracement, short-term upward trendline, and the 200 moving average.