FX:Euro Remains Steady, German Unemployment Slightly Worse In August
German unemployment rose slightly more than expected in August increasing by +9K versus estimates of +8K rise as Europe’s largest economy showed signs of slowdown due to the region’s chronic sovereign debt crisis. The number of unemployed rose in August to 2.901 million from an upwardly revised 2.892 million in July. In unadjusted terms, unemployment climbed 29,000 to 2.905 million but the jobless rate was unchanged at 6.8%.
Job vacancies declined by 4K adding to July’s decline of 7K, suggesting that labor demand may be peaking as employers take a more cautious stance given the uncertainty surrounding the EZ sovereign debt market and the European union. The news confirms the overall slowdown noted in the latest PMI data and shows that growth in Germany is grinding to halt, but nevertheless remains slightly positive.
The data had virtually no impact on EUR/USD as the pair remained near the 1.2550 level awaiting the results of the 10 year Italian bond auction. As we noted earlier, the pair appears to be in a state of equilibrium at the moment trading between 1.2500-1.2600 range as traders await further developments from the ECB and fiscal officials in the region.
