📅 Mon, 17 Aug 2026
Home · Daily Insights · Mon, 17 Aug 2026
London Session • EUR Analysis

EUR/USD Rally at 1.1600 as Fed Rate-Hike Bets Collapse

London is opening — here is the forex sentiment setup heading into the European session. Euro (EUR) leads forex sentiment today with a strong bullish reading. Here is what drove the move and what to watch next.

Euro (EUR), 72/100, Bullish — rallies to two-month highs as USD crumbles on fading Fed rate hike expectations.

Learn why EUR/USD has pierced key resistance and what technical and fundamental barriers stand between bulls and 1.1600.

What Happened

The euro staged a decisive rally on Monday as the US Dollar Index slumped toward 99.50, undermined by a sharp reversal in Federal Reserve rate-hike pricing. According to FXStreet, the Euro rallied to a two-month high with bulls eyeing the 1.1600 level, capitalizing on softer-than-expected US economic data that has forced traders to trim near-term tightening bets. This repricing of Fed policy expectations has been the dominant theme reshaping currency flows across the majors, with the greenback losing ground across nearly every pair.

EUR/USD itself has moved into a critical technical phase. Action Forex reported that the pair's rally is now meeting a crucial resistance barrier, with bulls closely monitoring whether price action can breach and hold above this juncture. The combination of euro strength and dollar weakness — both driven by the same macro narrative of receding US rate hikes — has created a powerful unidirectional move that has trapped many short-EUR positioning into losses and drawn fresh buy orders from technical followers.

“Euro rallies to two-month high, eyes 1.1600 as USD struggles”— FXStreet

Today's news timeline

Market Reaction

Across the broader forex market, the sentiment distribution reveals a sharp bifurcation: EUR commands 72/100 bullish sentiment while USD languishes at just 28/100, representing the widest gap among all major currency pairs. The immediate trigger has been a coordinated unwinding of dollar longs as traders pushed back Fed hike bets in response to mixed US economic signals, with the Japanese Yen (66/100 bullish), British Pound (68/100), Australian Dollar (70/100), and New Zealand Dollar (68/100) all grinding higher on the same USD weakness thesis.

EUR/USD has emerged as the flagship pair of this session, with bulls now focused on whether technical confirmation above resistance can ignite a fresh leg toward 1.1600. The wider FX session has rewarded currencies with hawkish central bank backdrop — particularly AUD on RBA strength — or those benefiting from safe-haven flows, while the greenback has become a crowded short as the narrative around imminent Fed tightening has crumbled. Volume and momentum suggest conviction behind the move, though the proximity to key technical barriers means the next 48 hours will be decisive for trend confirmation.

What's Driving the Move

Three key threads run through the bullish Euro story:

  1. Traders have aggressively repriced Federal Reserve rate-hike expectations lower following softer Q2 GDP data and mixed economic signals, causing the US Dollar Index to weaken toward 99.50 and unlocking euro strength across multiple currency pairs.
  2. EUR/USD has rallied into a critical technical barrier near 1.1600 according to Action Forex, with bulls now focused on whether sustained price action above resistance can trigger fresh buying and overcome key Fibonacci levels.
  3. Gold and other risk assets have benefited from the same dollar weakness, with bullion rallying near $4,400 as Fed hike expectations drop — a secondary confirmation that the market is repricing terminal rate assumptions rather than responding to geopolitical risk alone.
“EUR/JPY Price Forecast: Tests rising wedge bottom near 184.00”— FXStreet · 06:00 UTC

What to Watch Next

📈 Bull case for the move
A break and hold above 1.1600 in EUR/USD would confirm a fresh leg higher and likely target 1.1650–1.1700, especially if US economic data continues to disappoint and central bank speakers reinforce a patient Fed stance. Upcoming China July economic data releases could also reignite risk appetite if growth signals prove resilient, further penalizing the dollar and supporting euro strength.
📉 Risk to the view
A sudden reversal in Fed rate-cut pricing — triggered by hotter-than-expected inflation data or hawkish FOMC commentary — could snap the euro's rally and force a retracement back toward 1.1450–1.1500. Technical failure at the current resistance level would also invalidate the bullish setup and invite profit-taking from trend-following algorithmic traders.

Watch the Asia session for China's delayed July economic data, which could reignite demand-driven dollar flows and test whether the euro's two-month rally has genuine fundamental legs.

📊 Bias snapshot at the time of writing
USD
28
▼ Bear
EUR
72
▲ Bull
GBP
68
▲ Bull
JPY
66
▲ Bull
AUD
70
▲ Bull
CAD
64
▲ Bull
CHF
52
— Neut
NZD
68
▲ Bull
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How this briefing was written: AI-drafted from real forex news headlines scanned every 3 hours by FXNewsBias, then auto-published on a fixed session schedule. Sentiment scores reflect news flow only — not technical signals or price action. This is information, not financial advice. Always cross-check with your own analysis before trading.