German banks are closed for the Easter Monday holiday and EUR/USD is almost unchanged. Currently, the pair is trading at 1.1249, up 0.03% on the day. There are no German or eurozone events on the calendar. In the U.S., there is just one release. Existing home sales is expected to slow to 5.31 million in March, after a strong reading of 5.51 a month earlier. Housing data will remain in focus on Tuesday, with the release of the housing price index and new home sales.
The euro dropped sharply on Thursday, after disappointing manufacturing PMIs from Germany and the eurozone. The manufacturing sector continues to post declines, as the global trade war has reduced demand for German and eurozone exports, and taken a toll on the German auto industry. German manufacturing PMI has slowed for nine successive months, and the worrisome trend shows no signs of changing until the U.S and China hammer out a trade agreement. The services sector, which is more reflective of domestic demand, is in better shape, as German and eurozone PMIs continue to indicate expansion.
It’s a quiet start to the week for EUR/USD, but that could quickly change, as the Trump administration is expected to announce on Monday that it will terminate sanction waivers given to some importers of Iranian oil, as of May 1. This move is intended to further tighten sanctions against Iran, and has sent crude prices higher on Monday. If risk apprehension rises, investors could flock to the safe-haven U.S. dollar at the expense of the euro.
