The euro rose in European trade on Tuesday against major rivals, maintaining gains for the third straight session against the dollar and trading near four-month highs, as markets await the massive German stimulus spending plan to be passed this week.
Legislative approval of the plan would reduce the need for European Central Bank rate cuts, which would underpin the euro, however, the EU continues to face tariff risks from the US.
The Price
The EUR/USD pair rose 0.3% today to $1.0868, with a session-low at $1.0828.
The pair rose 0.1% on Monday, hitting a four-month high at $1.0888 following weak US jobs data.
German Spending
Euro registered massive gains last week as German government yields spiked by 40 basis points, as political leaders agreed on a 500 billion euros infrastructure plan, while agreeing to spend more on defense.
It’s an inflationary policy and thus would reduce the odds of an ECB rate cut in upcoming months.
Analysts expected a marked uptick in German economic growth if the economic reforms were executed, with some banks estimating German GDP to grow by 1.4% in both 2026 and 2027, up from 1.2% in previous forecasts.
However, the German and eurozone economies still face major risks as the US prepares to impose tariffs on European products soon, which will likely drag the euro down heavily against the greenback.
The Japanese yen rose in Asian trade on Tuesday against major rivals, extending the gains for the second straight session against the dollar and hitting a five-month high on mounting risk aversion and haven demand with massive US stock selloffs.
The gains are also underpinned by a drop in US 10-year treasury yields, which boosted the odds of a Fed rate cut in the first half of the year.
The Price
The USD/JPY fell 0.5% today to 146.54 yen per dollar, the lowest since October 2024, with a session-high at 147.27.
The yen rose 0.5% on Monday, the third profit in four days, as US yields and stocks dropped.
US Stocks
US stock indices marked their worst daily loss since September 2022 on Monday, plumbing six-month lows as investors flee the market on concerns about Trump’s tariffs and US recession.
The S&P 500 is now down 8.6% from its February 19 record high, losing $4 trillion of market value since then.
A series of controversial Trump policies spiked uncertainties for companies and consumers, with the worsening trade war damaging sentiment.
Japan’s Nikkei followed suit and lost over a thousand points, hitting six-month lows, as the US is Japan’s second largest trade partner.
US Yields
US 10-year treasury yields fell 0.8% on Tuesday, pressuring the greenback against major rivals.
Concerns are increasing about US growth, especially after weak US jobs data in February.
The odds of a Federal Reserve 0.25% interest rate cut in March are still standing at 5%.
Most cryptocurrencies fell on Monday as the crypto market faces a huge selloff, impacted by a plunging sentiment across sectors due to US President Donald Trump’s trade policies.
It comes after statements by President Trump to the press on Sunday, refusing to rule out a potential recession in 2025 due to his trade policies.
Trump said the US economy is going through a large transition, and described his protectionist policies as “very huge”.
The fear index on Wall Street surged by 14.45% to 26.75 points after touching December 18 highs recently amid a heavy market selloff.
Now investors await important US consumer prices and producer prices data this week.
Ethereum
On trading, ethereum tumbled 9.8% as of 20:47 GMT on Coinmarketcap to $1845.4.
Gold prices fell on Monday amid large-scale market turmoil due to concerns about a US recession.
It comes after statements by President Trump to the press on Sunday, refusing to rule out a potential recession in 2025 due to his trade policies.
Trump said the US economy is going through a large transition, and described his protectionist policies as “very huge”.
The fear index on Wall Street surged by 14.45% to 26.75 points after touching December 18 highs recently amid a heavy market selloff.
Now investors await important US consumer prices and producer prices data this week.
Otherwise, the dollar index rose 0.1% as of 20:19 GMT to 103.9, with a session-high at 104.06, and a low at 103.5.
On trading, gold spot prices fell 0.8% as of 20:20 GMT to $2891.6 an ounce.