The European Central Bank (ECB) has decided to hold interest rates at their current level for its fifth consecutive meeting. In a press conference, ECB President Christine Lagarde referenced the US Federal Reserve's own monetary policy, stating: "We are data-dependent, not Fed-dependent." DZ Bank Head of FX and Monetary Policy Research Sonja Marten joins Yahoo Finance to discuss the recent decision from the ECB and how it impacts global markets. In terms of the parity call and what investors should keep in mind for their portfolios, Marten states: "What's really important to understand is that as far as the FX [foreign exchange] market is concerned, this is all about relative performance. If you look, and I'm talking now really about fundamental growth, so if you look at Europe and you look at the data in recent months, been really, really poor. We have recession in Germany, things aren't looking good, but if you look at what the market is pricing in, that's already in the price and if you look at the US, the opposite almost is the case. What I'm saying is in terms of euro-dollar, while there's a lot going on right now... I don't think there's a driver here for euro-dollar to move significantly higher or lower lastingly, so we have a fairly flat forecast." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino
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