- Report that Germany may circumvent debt rules to boost spending
- ECB expected to ease at Thursday's meeting
(Adds pound, updates prices)
The euro rose on Monday after a report that Germany may boost fiscal stimulus increased hopes that governments will act to boost growth in the region, though expectations of further central bank easing kept a lid on gains.
Germany is considering the creation of a "shadow budget" that would allow Berlin to boost public investment above and beyond limits set by its strict national debt rules, three people familiar with the internal discussions told Reuters.
“A key part of that coalition is the commitment to keep balanced budgets. If they are waiving from that it could be very supportive for the euro and very bearish for the dollar,” said Bipan Rai, North American head, FX strategy at CIBC Capital Markets in Toronto.
The euro EUR= gained to $1.1051 against the greenback, up 0.22% on the day, after earlier trading as low as $1.1014.
Euro gains were capped, however, before the European Central Bank’s meeting on Thursday, when the central bank is expected to introduce a new wave of monetary stimulus.
"The default is to be negative euro into ECB," said Kenneth Broux, head of corporate research at Societe Generale.
The euro may get a boost, however, if the ECB disappoints dovish expectations already baked into the market.
“We get the sense the market is expecting a bit too much of a dovish outcome this week and if that is the case that could imply that tactical long euro positions might do well,” Rai said.
In the United States, consumer price inflation data on Thursday and retail sales data on Friday are the main economic focus. They will come after Friday's jobs report showed that U.S. jobs growth slowed more than expected in August.
The Federal Reserve will continue to act "as appropriate" to sustain the U.S. economic expansion, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said on Friday in Zurich, bolstering expectations for a rate cut at the Fed's meeting on Sept. 18.
Sterling rallied to six-week highs on hopes that Britain will not crash out of the European Union without a deal, and after data showed Britain's economy picked up more than expected in July.
It briefly pared gains after House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said he would stand down.
======================================================== Currency bid prices at 3:03PM (1903 GMT)Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid Previous Change Session Euro/Dollar EUR= $1.1051 $1.1027 +0.22% -3.64% +1.1067 +1.1016 Dollar/Yen JPY= 107.1600 106.9000 +0.24% -2.81% +107.1700 +106.7800 Euro/Yen EURJPY= 118.43 117.86 +0.48% -6.16% +118.5000 +117.7500 Dollar/Swiss CHF= 0.9915 0.9872 +0.44% +1.03% +0.9918 +0.9875 Sterling/Dollar GBP= 1.2345 1.2281 +0.52% -3.23% +1.2382 +1.2235 Dollar/Canadian CAD= 1.3159 1.3170 -0.08% -3.51% +1.3184 +1.3139 Australian/Doll AUD= 0.6864 0.6846 +0.26% -2.62% +0.6876 +0.6837 arEuro/Swiss EURCHF= 1.0961 1.0888 +0.67% -2.60% +1.0962 +1.0890 Euro/Sterling EURGBP= 0.8950 0.8973 -0.26% -0.38% +0.9014 +0.8905 NZ NZD= 0.6425 0.6425 +0.00% -4.35% +0.6444 +0.6414 Dollar/DollarDollar/Norway NOK= 8.9259 8.9740 -0.54% +3.32% +8.9922 +8.9133 Euro/Norway EURNOK= 9.8648 9.8975 -0.33% -0.42% +9.9085 +9.8513 Dollar/Sweden SEK= 9.6541 9.6427 +0.32% +7.70% +9.6695 +9.6333 Euro/Sweden EURSEK= 10.6700 10.6362 +0.32% +3.96% +10.6785 +10.6241
- Forums
- Forex
- News: FOREX-Euro gains on hopes of German fiscal stimulus