Daily Market News
Daily Market Report 09/18/2026 EUR/USD ranged in the mid to high 1.14’s overnight. The Euro (EUR) trades in a tight range at around 1.1485 against the US Dollar (USD) during the European trading session on Friday. The major currency pair turns sideways after posting a fresh six-week low near 1.1456 as investors look beyond hawkish interest rate decisions by both the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Federal Reserve (Fed). The ECB raised its key policy rates by 25 basis points (bps), as expected, in an attempt to counter rising inflationary pressures. The ECB still sees risks to inflation remaining to the upside, but not significant evidence of second-round inflation effects. However, financial markets have raised ECB interest rate hike expectations amid higher energy prices. Strategists highlight the sharp repricing at the front end of European curve, noting that, as reported by Bloomberg, “money markets are now fully pricing four 25-bps rate increases by the ECB over the next 12 months. This week, the US Dollar outperformed as the Fed broke the five-meeting hold streak and raised interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) to 3.75%-4.00% range. The Fed was expected to do so as the August Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed signs of stickiness in inflationary pressures. The Fed also acknowledged price pressures remaining higher for long and signaled at least one more interest rate hike this year. The British Pound (GBP) is up 0.1% at around 1.3372 against the US Dollar (USD) during the European trading session on Friday. The GBP/USD pair gains as the British currency rises, following the release of the surprisingly upbeat United Kingdom (UK) Retail Sales data for August. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported that Retail Sales grew by 0.5% Month-on-Month (MoM) after declining at a similar pace. The data was expected to contract by 0.2%. While the British currency has reacted positively to the Retail Sales data, it underperformed the entire data-packed and Bank of England (BoE) policy week. The Japanese Yen (JPY) underperforms its major currency peers on Friday after the Bank of Japan’s (BoJ) monetary policy announcement. In the European trade, the USD/JPY pair trades 1.3% higher to near 158.00. BoJ Governor Kazuo Ueda reiterates that the central bank will remain on the monetary tightening path, allowing market experts to price in more interest rate hikes in the near term. According to TD Securities, the latest BoJ communication “provides strong justification for additional hikes,” reinforcing the policy trajectory outlined in its earlier guidance. The firm notes that the statement “reaffirmed the case for 25bps increases in the cash rate roughly every quarter,” effectively “validating the hawkish July framework” and underscoring the BoJ’s commitment to a gradual but persistent normalization of policy. Source: FX Street