EUR/USD Pushes Higher On Draghi’s Appointment

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Amongst U.S. Dollar strength across the board coming into 2021, the Euro has come roaring back on further optimism on the vaccine, alongside asset markets strength.

Mario Draghi Boosts The Euro
There has been a clear downtrend from February’s start, following a clean channel downwards towards 1.195. However, around the 6th of Feb, the pair broke out of the downwards channel on the news that former ECB President, Mario Draghi, was tapped to form a party to lead Italy out of the two crises they faced themselves in – financial recession and the Coronavirus.

Mario Draghi was known for convincing European leaders to take extraordinary measures to save the European Union by implementing controversial monetary policy at negative rates. He emphasized that “for rates to be positive later, they need to be negative today.”

But the Coronavirus situation has placed a wrench in that thesis, requiring monetary policy that the ECB doesn’t have to give. Nevertheless, he left the ECB in 2019 with a glowing reputation, attaining the nickname “Super Mario.” Analysts are cautiously optimistic that Draghi can pull Italy out of their predicament as he did with the Euro.


Euro’s Strength Dependent On Stronger Vaccine Rollout
ECB’s Current President, Christine Lagarde, predicted that the recovery in Europe would pick up in the summer, as vaccines roll out across the continent. However, the vaccine rollout in Europe has not come to a good start, with only 3.6% of the continent receiving their first shot. This is in comparison to around 17% of citizens in the U.K. receiving their first shot. Lagarde stated that “We remain convinced that 2021 will be a recovery year” and that “the economic recovery has been delayed, but not derailed. People are obviously waiting impatiently for it.”

Currently, optimism on Mario Draghi’s appointment has fueled the rise in the Euro, alongside a slight weakness in the U.S. Dollar. However, Europe needs to curb the virus faster than the U.S. does for the Euro to go past 1.23.