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EUR/USD Starts Lower As ECB Member Says Current Calm is

J̦rg Asmussen, a German member of the ECB, said that the current calm in the markets is deceptive. While he said that all countries, including Germany, need to reform, his words could also be a hint for Spain Рwithout a bailout request there will be no ECB money.

He also removed the option that the ECB will give Greece more time,. But as everybody knows, time is money. By extending maturities, the ECB would practically be funding governments. EUR/USD begins the week with a small gap lower:

EUR USD Sunday Gap Lower October 8 2012
EUR/USD Gaps Lower – Click image to enlarge

EUR/USD moved higher after the NFP on Friday but failed to settle above resistance at 1.3060. It is now getting close to support at the round line of 1.30.

1.2960 and 1.29 are below. For more, see the euro dollar forecast.

Asmussen Toughens Up

His clear words put an end to speculation that the ECB would be flexible, answering Greece’s request for ECB  accommodation with a clear NO. So, perhaps lower interest rates? The answer to Germany’s Bild am Sontag was a clear no as well:

…both concessions would be a form of debt forgiveness and therefore a direct financial support for the Greek state.  “That would not be allowed under the law governing the ECB

Asmussen was an appointment of the German government and is considered close to Chancellor Angela Merkel. So, his position shows that Merkel will have limited concessions to make when she visits Athens on Tuesday.

In the not so distant past,  Asmussen backed Draghi’s bond buying program, thus showing that the German government supports it, despite the fierce objection of the German central bank (Bundesbank).

However, it is important to remember that when the ECB wanted to help Greece, it found a very interesting revolving door mechanism that kept Greece from defaulting.

Yohay Elam

Yohay Elam

Yohay Elam: Founder, Writer and Editor I have been into forex trading for over 5 years, and I share the experience that I have and the knowledge that I've accumulated. After taking a short course about forex. Like many forex traders, I've earned a significant share of my knowledge the hard way. Macroeconomics, the impact of news on the ever-moving currency markets and trading psychology have always fascinated me. Before founding Forex Crunch, I've worked as a programmer in various hi-tech companies. I have a B. Sc. in Computer Science from Ben Gurion University. Given this background, forex software has a relatively bigger share in the posts.