EUR pulled back to 4h MA50. We are coming up on the Memorial Day holiday which will keep markets closed on Monday, May 31. That could bring some added volatility with traders readjusting positions ahead of the long weekend, as well as critical data coming up next week, including the May Employment Report.
Fundamental analysis
With 50% of the U.S. adult population now fully vaccinated and most states close to fully reopened, it seems reasonable to say we are entering the early stages of the post-pandemic era. One of the key themes that has driven bullish momentum in EUR during the pandemic is that we were headed toward a post-pandemic economic boom fueled by cheap and easy money, cheap energy costs, and a lot of available (aka cheap) labor that weakened USD.
In reality, energy is kind of cheap-ish, but labor is not so readily available or cheap, and the "cheap and easy" money provided by the Federal Reserve may not last as long as some expected. In fact, money could get more expensive if inflation starts running even hotter and the Fed is forced to raise interest rates. The landscape is of course still evolving so the "trifecta" of cheap and easy energy, labor and money could still happen but investors are definitely reassessing, which is partially reflected in this long consolidation period that stock market has recently been stuck in.
The labor market has been one of the biggest puzzlers and investors hope the May jobs report next Friday will provide more clarity. Many economists are dialing back their expectations for the labor market, including some Federal Reserve officials. St. Louis Fed president James Bullard said this week that +500,000 jobs a month is a realistic expectation versus the +1 million some had been hoping for.
Dallas's Robert Kaplan warned that a rate closer to last months gain of +266,000 could be repeated in May. Typically, a weak labor market would mean an accommodative Federal Reserve. Instead, that weakness along with numerous supply chain issues and materials shortages has been contributing to inflation pressures that some fear could be long-lasting.
It's hard to overstate the extreme level of uncertainty this has created for investors.
Technical analysis
The 4h MA50 is the consolidation zone now. If the current range holds, the bulls will target new higher highs between 1.231 and 1.235. A lot depends on today’s data. I will not be surprised to see increased volatility. And if current support fails, bears will target 4h MA200. Ahead of the GDP report it makes perfect sense to reduce your exposure and trade after the market digests the news.