French industrial production production figures weigh on the EUR ahead of the ECB monetary policy decision and press conference.
It’s was quieter day on the economic data front this morning. Ahead of the European open, French nonfarm payrolls for the 1st quarter were in focus along with French and Italian industrial production figures.
In the 1st quarter, nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.3% following a 0.3% rise from the previous quarter. With COVID-19 lockdown measures in place, the numbers had a muted impact on the EUR.
Industrial production figures for April disappointed, however.
In April, industrial production fell by 0.1% versus a forecasted 0.5% increase. Production had risen by 1.0% in March.
In Italy, industrial production rose by 1.8%, following a 0.3% increase in March. Economists had forecast a more modest 0.3% increase.
Year-on-year, production was up by 79.5% versus a forecasted 72.2% rise. In March, production had been up by 38.4% year-on-year.
Ahead of the trade data, the EUR had risen to a pre-stat high and current day high $1.21816 before falling back to sub-$1.2170 levels.
In response to the French industrial production figures, the EUR rose to a post-stat high $1.21739 before sliding to a post-stat low and current day low $1.21536.
Better than expected production figures from Italy provided some support but not enough to reverse the morning loss.
At the time of writing, the EUR was down by 0.17% to $1.21600
The ECB monetary policy decision and press conference along with jobless claims and inflation figures from the U.S.
With over 28 years of experience in the financial industry, Bob has worked with various global rating agencies and multinational banks. Currently he is covering currencies, commodities, alternative asset classes and global equities, focusing mostly on European and Asian markets.