Taking advantage of the hawkish rhetoric of the ECB and Hungary's stubborn resistance to the Russian oil embargo, the EURUSD bulls, as expected, went on the counterattack and inflated the quotes of the main currency pair above 1.05. For a long time, the positions of the euro looked hopeless, but any trend, no matter how strong it may be, needs correction. Why not now?

Such a rapid fall of the single European currency was clearly not part of the ECB's plans. In such a scenario, an increase in import prices further accelerates inflation and slows down economic growth. In this regard, the words of Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau look like a verbal intervention. The authoritative official said that the ECB is closely monitoring the situation on Forex, and the fall of the euro contradicts the goals of price stability.

The faster growth of eurozone GDP in the first quarter by 0.3%, rather than 0.2% QoQ, added fuel to the fire of the bulls' counterattack on EURUSD. The currency bloc's economy is recovering from the pandemic faster than previously expected. If it were not for the armed conflict in Ukraine, it could have outstripped its American counterpart, which would have led to the breakdown of the downward trend in the main currency pair.

Eurozone GDP dynamics

However, work on Forex does not tolerate the subjunctive mood. Due to the fact that the Fed will tighten monetary policy faster than the ECB; the US economy has recovered faster from COVID-19, and the eurozone is closer to the epicenter of hostilities in Eastern Europe, the EURUSD bears dominate the market and can afford to play cat and mouse with their main opponent.

Investors are looking forward to the speeches of Christine Lagarde and Jerome Powell. Lagarde's alleged "hawkish" rhetoric is one of the drivers of the euro pullback. The derivatives market predicts that the deposit rate will rise by 90 bps in 2022, which is equivalent to 25 bps at three or four meetings of the Governing Council. Out of the 48 Reuters experts, 26 said that borrowing costs will rise by 50 bps by the end of the third quarter, another 18 see +25 bps, and two said +10 bps. More than 90% of respondents expect to see zero or positive rates by the end of the year. Note that at present it is -0.5%.

Hungary's resistance to the EU's plan to embargo Russian oil is also lending a helping hand to EURUSD bulls. 65% of oil imports to this country come from the Russian Federation. And in order to abandon it, it is necessary to redo the entire infrastructure, which Budapest estimates at €15–18 billion. No ban on oil supplies—no higher prices—no retaliatory sanctions from Moscow. This means that the risks of a recession in the eurozone are reduced. Good news for the euro.

Technically, the return of EURUSD to the boundaries of fair value indicates the seriousness of the intentions of the bulls. Closing the trading day above 1.053 will increase the risks of a correction in the direction of 1.06 and 1.066. In this regard, the longs formed at the break of resistance at 1.0435 are still holding and watching the closing price.

EURUSD, Daily chart

EURUSD, Hourly chart