EUR/USD
The EUR/USD pair is showing an uncertain decline, consolidating near 1.0925 and local lows from August 8, updated at the end of last week, although the instrument demonstrated attempts at corrective growth, receiving weak support from technical factors. Meanwhile, key macroeconomic statistics on inflation from the US and Germany were in the center of attention of market participants. In September, the US Consumer Price Index slowed from 2.5% to 2.4% year-on-year, compared to a forecast of 2.3%, and in monthly terms it remained at 0.2%, while analysts had expected 0.1%. The Core CPI excluding Food and Energy accelerated from 3.2% to 3.3% year-on-year and added another 0.3% month-on-month. On Friday, data on producer inflation in the US was released: the Producer Price Index in September in annual terms was adjusted from 1.9% to 1.8% with expectations of 1.6%, and in monthly terms — from 0.2% to 0.0% with preliminary estimates of 0.1%, while the PPI excluding Food and Energy rose from 2.6% to 2.8%, while analysts expected 2.7%. In addition, market participants noted the decline in the University of Michigan Consumer Confidence index in October from 70.1 points to 68.9 points, with a forecast of 70.8 points. German inflation statistics did not have a noticeable impact on the market: the Consumer Price Index in September remained at 0.0% monthly and 1.6% annually, while the Harmonized CPI fell by 0.1% and added 1.8%, respectively. The European Central Bank (ECB) is set to meet on Thursday and is likely to cut its interest rate by 25 basis points to 3.40%, which could put further pressure on the single currency.
GBP/USD
The GBP/USD pair is trading in different directions, holding close to 1.3060. Activity on the instrument remains low at the beginning of the new week, as traders expect new drivers to emerge, while simultaneously assessing the prospects for monetary easing by the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England. Earlier, the Chair of the American regulator, Jerome Powell, spoke out against the high pace of reduction in the cost of borrowing, which led to a revision of forecasts for the November meeting. According to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group) FedWatch Tool, the probability of an interest rate adjustment of –25 basis points is 80.0%, while the previous main scenario envisaged a cut of 50 basis points. Last week's US consumer and producer inflation data only confirmed these considerations: in September, the Consumer Price Index slowed from 2.5% to 2.4%, while analysts expected 2.3%, and the Core CPI accelerated from 3.2% to 3.3%. In turn, the Core Producer Price Index rose from 2.6% to 2.8%, with preliminary estimates of 2.7%. Meanwhile, the pound received some support from macroeconomic data released on Friday: the UK's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate accelerated in August from 0.0% to 0.2%, Industrial Production increased by 0.5% month-on-month after –0.7% in the previous month, while experts expected 0.2%, and in annual terms the figure rose from –2.2% to –1.6%, which was significantly worse than expectations of –0.5%. Manufacturing Production rose 1.1% in August after falling 1.2%, while analysts had expected a 0.2% gain. Tomorrow, the market will receive data on the UK labor market for August-September: a slight decrease from 23.7 thousand to 20.2 thousand is expected in the Claimant Count Change in September, and Average Earnings Including Bonus in August are likely to adjust from 4.0% to 3.8%, and Excluding Bonus — from 5.1% to 5.0%.