EUR/USD recovers from low US inflation, EU energy plans, and trade talks

EUR/USD bids jumped to 0.9980 during Wednesday's Asian session due to US inflation-driven losses near the weekly low. In doing so, the main currency pair consolidates the greatest daily loss in the past two years prior to diplomatic efforts by the European Union (EU).

The US inflation data released on Tuesday revived concerns about the Federal Reserve's rapid rate hike and compounded recession fears. China and Russia-related geopolitical concerns are also acting as bearish factors for the EUR/USD. Despite this, the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 8.3% year-over-year in August, above market estimates by 0.1%. In contrast, the monthly data increased to 0.1%, surpassing the -0.1% projected and the 0.0% seen in previous reports. The core CPI, or CPI excluding food and energy, also surpassed the 6.1% consensus and 5.9% prior to printing at 6.3% for the relevant month.

In contrast, Eurozone ZEW Economic Sentiment fell to -60.7 in September, compared to the expected -52 and the prior reading of -54.9. The sentiment indicator for Germany declined to -61.9, compared to market expectations of -60 and previous readings of 55.3. Following the announcement of the statistics on Tuesday, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck warned, "We face the potential of a recession next year." Similarly, the German economic outlook for the second half of the year has deteriorated dramatically, and second-half output may stagnate or decline.

Notable is the increase in hawkish Fed bets, with next week's 75 basis point (bps) rate hike looking increasingly plausible. At its meeting on September 21, there is a 25% chance that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) will announce a full 1% increase in the benchmark Fed rate.

After US inflation data, the inversion between short-term and long-term US Treasury bond yields deteriorated and exacerbated recession fears, which impacted on the EUR/USD due to the pair's reputation as a risk-barometer. However, following the announcement of the data, the yields on 10-year US Treasury notes increased to 3.412% and those on 2-year bonds increased to 3.76%, up from approximately 3.411% and 3.745%, respectively. In addition, following the release of the US CPI, US stocks saw their worst daily loss in over two years, which affected the pair.

Additionally, Sino-American tensions are exacerbated by US Vice President Joe Biden's efforts to highlight China's problems and the drive for better relations with China. In addition, market sentiment and the EUR/USD exchange rate were impacted by concerns that Russia could retaliate brutally after withdrawing from certain regions of Ukraine.

Recently, US President Joe Biden declared, "I am unconcerned by today's inflation figure," adding that the stock market is not always a reliable predictor of the strength of the economy. The cause may be tied to the greatest drop in US stocks in two years following the publication of US inflation data.

Ursula von der Leyen's plans for energy price capping and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai's visit to the European Union (EU) to see European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis will be vital to track for future developments. Prior to Thursday's US Retail Sales for the month of August and Friday's preliminary September Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index reading, the US Producer Price Index (PPI) will also be crucial.