Forex - EUR/USD falls as U.S. fiscal cliff talks hit fresh snag

Published 12/21/2012, 01:14 PM
Updated 12/21/2012, 01:16 PM
EUR/USD
-
EUR/GBP
-
EUR/JPY
-
Investing.com - The dollar rose against the euro on Friday as investors shunned risk and opted for the safety of the U.S. currency after members of the House of Representatives rejected a proposal designed to avoid the fiscal cliff put forth by House Speaker John Boehner.

In U.S. trading on Friday, EUR/USD was trading down 0.57% at 1.3169, up from a session low of 1.3159, and off from a high of 1.3253.

The pair was likely to find support at 1.3144, Monday's low, and resistance at 1.3308, Wednesday's high.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives canceled plans to vote on a budget proposal tabled by Speaker Boehner, himself a Republican, which called for tax hikes on incomes over USD1 million, well above a White House proposal calling for tax hikes on incomes topping USD400,000.

Rebellion in Boehner's own party spooked investors that the U.S. will fail to reach a budgetary deal, which will allow tax breaks to expire for all Americans in 2013 and deep cuts to government spending to kick in at the same time, a combination known as a fiscal cliff that could tip the country into a recession next year.

The news overshadowed otherwise positive data.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported earlier that core durable goods orders, which exclude transportation items, rose 1.6% in November, beating market expectations for a 0.2% decline though down slightly from a 1.9% increase the previous month.

Durable goods orders rose by 0.7% last month, outpacing consensus forecasts for a 0.2% rise though down from a 1.1% increase in October.

Meanwhile, a separate Commerce Department report revealed that personal spending in the U.S. rose by 0.4% in November, beating expectations for a 0.3% rise and far outpacing 0.1% fall the previous month.

Also in the U.S. earlier, Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index slumped unexpectedly in December, possibly due to fears the U.S. will careen over the fiscal cliff.

The index dipped to 72.9 for December from of 74.5 the previous month, missing analysts' call for an improvement to 74.7 this month.

In Europe, the Gfk research group reported that its index of Germany’s consumer climate fell to 5.6 in December from 5.8 in November.

Analysts had expected the index to improve to 5.9 this month.

The euro, meanwhile, was up against the pound and down against the yen, with EUR/GBP trading up 0.14% at 0.8147, and EUR/JPY trading down 0.82% at 110.84.










Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2025 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.