EUR/USD holds below 1.14, economists push out the ECB rate hike forecast

• The pair charted a doji yesterday. A break below 1.1370 would signal a continuation of the sell-off.  
• The EUR/USD pair is currently trading at 1.1393, having hit a two-week low of 1.1370 yesterday.  
• The common currency has retraced 50 percent of the rally from the Nov. 12 low of 1.1215 to Jan. 10 high of 1.1570.  

Indeed, the pair created a doji candle yesterday, which represents indecision in the market place. However, do not rule out the bears just yet, as the slowdown in the Eurozone economy could force the European Central Bank (ECB) to delay rate hikes.  

Notably, economists polled by Reuters expect the ECB to hike rates in the four quarter as opposed to the previous forecast of a third-quarter rate hike. The central bank is seen raising its deposit rate, currently at -0.40 percent, to -0.20 percent in the fourth quarter and would wait until early 2020 to raise its refinancing rate from zero to 0.20 percent.

The rising odds of the ECB rate hike delay could keep the EUR under pressure.

As a result, EUR/USD is more likely to invalidate bearish exhaustion signaled by yesterday’s doji with a move below 1.1370. The bearish pressure would weaken if the pair closes above the 10-day EMA, currently at 1.1420.  

EUR/USD Technical Levels