Investing.com -- EUR/USD inched down on Wednesday, as soft inflation data in the U.S. bolstered dovish sentiments for a delayed interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve beyond the first quarter.
The currency pair traded in a broad range between 1.0877 and 1.0976, before settling at 1.0889, down 0.0021 or 0.20% on the session. Volatility remained low, as EUR/USD closed below 0.70% in a positive or negative direction for the ninth straight trading day. Since ending 2015 around 1.085, the euro is relatively flat against its American counterpart, up 0.28% on the new year.
EUR/USD likely gained support at 1.0538, the low from December 3 and was met with resistance at 1.1496, the high from Oct. 15.
On Wednesday morning, the U.S. Department of Labor said that its Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all items declined 0.1% in December on a seasonally adjusted basis, slightly below forecasts for a flat reading. The CPI for December also rose by 0.7% on a yearly basis, before seasonal adjustments, extending 0.5% gains from a month earlier. Housing and medical care prices inched up by 0.1% on the month, posting annual increases of 2.1% and 2.6% respectively. As expected, energy prices dragged down the overall index, falling more than 2% in December to end the year 12.6% lower.
The Core CPI, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, also rose modestly by 0.1%, slightly below consensus estimates for monthly gains of 0.2%. The Core reading increased by 2.1% from the same period a year earlier, just above gains of 2.0% in November. By comparison, the U.S. Census Bureau said last month that its Core Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) index increased by 1.3% on a yearly basis for the month of November. The reading, which is the Federal Reserve's preferred gauge for inflation, fell sharply below the U.S. Central Bank's 2% objective.
Analysts at the CME Group's (O:CME) Fed Watch tool placed the probability of a rate hike by the Federal Open Market Committee's next week at 9.5%, above estimates of 8.4% a day earlier. The CME Group also expects a 25.2% chance of a rate hike by the FOMC in March, considerably below forecasts which hovered around 50% in late-December.
At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, a pair of prominent Wall Street executives offered diverging views on the path the Fed should take over the coming months. In an interview with CNBC on Wednesday morning, Ray Dalio, the founder of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, noted that the Fed's next move should include a renewal of Quantitative Easing, not further tightening of its policies. On the contrary, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon said later in an exclusive interview with the network that he still thinks another rate hike is ahead, as the markets could settle over the next few weeks.
Investors await a closely-watched meeting by the European Central Bank on Thursday for further signals of easing mechanisms that could be deployed by its Governing Council over the next few months to stave off deflation. The ECB, however, is largely expected to leave rates unchanged amid long-term concerns related to slowing growth in China and the impact of crashing oil prices on the global economy.
The U.S. Dollar Index, which measures the strength of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, fell more than 0.30% to an intraday low of 98.69, before rebounding to close at 99.16. The dollar remains near a 12-month higher from December, when the index eclipsed 100.00.