Asian session review: the dollar declined against the euro

During today's Asian trading, the US dollar fell against the euro and was almost unchanged against the yen.

Yesterday, the results of the meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB) were announced. The regulator expected to keep the base interest rate on loans at 0.0%, and the deposit rate at -0.5%. The rate on margin loans remained at 0.25%.

The ECB also did not change the volume of the Pandemic Emergency Purchase program (PEPP), leaving it at 1.350 trillion euros, as experts expected. The ECB will continue to buy back assets under this program until at least the end of June 2021. It also intends to reinvest proceeds from redeemable bonds under PEPP until at least the end of 2022.

ECB President Christine Lagarde said at a press conference after the meeting that the ECB governing Council discussed the situation with the strengthening of the euro, but does not target the currency exchange rate. According to her, the regulator will closely monitor the impact of euro dynamics on inflation.

The ICE index, which tracks the dynamics of the US dollar against six currencies (euro, swiss franc, yen, canadian dollar, pound sterling and swedish krona), fell by 0.07%.

The pound rose slightly against the US dollar, following yesterday's collapse. In negotiations on the future relationship between the EU and the UK, significant differences remain in important areas for the EU, said the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier. Barnier noted that the UK refuses to include guarantees of fair competition in the future agreement, while requesting free access to the EU single market. There are still no guarantees that London will comply with EU social, environmental, labor and climate standards.