Forex
Dollar falls, euro highest since August in thin holiday trading
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
By Karen Brettell
NEW YORK (Reuters) -The fell on Tuesday and the euro hit a more than four-month high as investors waited on fresh clues to when the Federal Reserve is likely to begin cutting interest rates as inflation falls closer to the U.S. central bank’s 2% annual target.
Volumes were muted the day after Christmas, however, as markets in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong, among others, were still out for a public holiday. Many traders globally are also out for holidays until the New Year.
The greenback is on track to post its worst performance since 2020 against a basket of currencies as anticipation of Fed rate cuts dents the appeal of the U.S. currency relative to peers.
Many analysts expect the U.S. economy to markedly slow in 2024, but the Fed is also expected to act to ensure that the gap between the fed funds rate and realized inflation doesn’t widen too far.
If inflation falls much faster than the Fed’s benchmark rate it can tighten monetary conditions more than Fed policymakers intend and increase the risk of a hard economic landing.
“Inflation should continue to cool, which will afford policymakers the ability to trim rates by June in order to prevent passive tightening in real rates,” analysts at Action Economics noted in a report on Tuesday.
However they pushed back against a cut coming as soon as March and disagreed with market pricing of 154 bps in easing by December, noting that this is “unlikely to be necessary unless the economy were to fall into a recession in coming months.”
Data on Friday showed U.S. prices fell in November for the first in more than 3-1/2 years, pushing the annual increase in inflation further below 3%.
Annual home prices in October rose again, pointing toward continued recovery of the housing market, data on Tuesday showed. Separately a Mastercard (NYSE:) report showed U.S. retail sales rose 3.1% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 as shoppers looked for last-minute Christmas deals amid big promotions.
The dollar index was last down 0.18% on the day at 101.44. It has fallen from a 20-year high of 114.78 on Sept. 28 2022 and is pace for a yearly loss of 1.98%.
The euro was up 0.20% at $1.1045, the highest since Aug. 10. The single currency has risen from a 20-year low of $0.9528 on Sept. 26, 2022 and is on track for a 3.08% gain this year.
The dollar gained 0.06% against the yen to 142.47. The dollar reached a 32-year high of 151.94 yen on Oct. 24, 2022, and came close to reaching this level again last month, before the Japanese currency recovered. The dollar is on pace for a 8.68% gain this year.
The yen has steadied near a recent five-month peak on the view that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) could soon mark an end to its ultra-easy policy. For most of 2022 and 2023, the policy has kept the Japanese currency under pressure as other major central banks embarked on aggressive rate-hike cycles.
BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Monday the likelihood of achieving the central bank’s inflation target was “gradually rising” and it would consider changing policy if prospects of sustainably achieving the 2% target increase “sufficiently”.
In cryptocurrencies, fell 3.36% to $42,130.
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Currency bid prices at 3:00PM (2000 GMT)
Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid
Previous Change
Session
Dollar index 101.4400 101.6400 -0.18% -1.981% +101.7700 +101.4500
Euro/Dollar $1.1045 $1.1015 +0.20% +3.08% +$1.1045 +$1.1010
Dollar/Yen 142.4700 142.4050 +0.06% +8.68% +142.6250 +142.0900
Euro/Yen 157.35 156.85 +0.32% +12.15% +157.3600 +156.5900
Dollar/Swiss 0.8532 0.8555 -0.27% -7.73% +0.8579 +0.8532
Sterling/Dollar $1.2722 $1.2699 +0.10% +5.16% +$1.2723 +$1.2689
Dollar/Canadian 1.3203 1.3268 -0.41% -2.56% +1.3262 +1.3202
Aussie/Dollar $0.6824 $0.6799 +0.24% +0.12% +$0.6824 +$0.6799
Euro/Swiss 0.9422 0.9423 -0.01% -4.78% +0.9448 +0.9419
Euro/Sterling 0.8679 0.8672 +0.08% -1.87% +0.8686 +0.8669
NZ $0.6331 $0.6298 +0.36% -0.29% +$0.6332 +$0.6295
Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway 10.1360 10.2120 -0.57% +3.46% +10.2710 +10.1540
Euro/Norway 11.1980 11.2303 -0.29% +6.71% +11.3130 +11.2010
Dollar/Sweden 9.9919 10.0179 +0.17% -4.00% +10.0734 +9.9848
Euro/Sweden 11.0360 11.0175 +0.17% -1.02% +11.0935 +11.0100
Forex
Dollar retains strength; euro near two-year low
Investing.com – The US dollar rose in thin holiday-impacted trade Tuesday, retaining recent strength as traders prepared for fewer Federal Reserve rate cuts in 2025.
At 04:25 ET (09:25 GMT), the Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six other currencies, traded 0.1% higher to 107.905, near the recently hit two-year high.
Dollar remains in demand
The dollar has been in demand since the Federal Reserve outlined a hawkish outlook for its interest rates after its last policy meeting of the year last week, projecting just two 25 bp rate cuts in 2025.
In fact, markets are now pricing in just about 35 basis points of easing for 2025, which has in turn sent US Treasury yields surging, boosting the dollar.
The two-year Treasury yield last stood at 4.34%, while the benchmark 10-year yield steadied near a seven-month high at 4.59%.
“We think this hawkish re-tuning of the Fed’s communication will lay the foundation for sustained dollar strengthening into the new year,” said analysts at ING,in a note.
Trading volumes are likely to thin out as the year-end approaches, with this trading week shortened by the festive period.
Euro near to two-year low
In Europe, fell 0.1% to 1.0396, near a two-year low, with the set to cut interest rates more rapidly than its US rival as the eurozone struggles to record any growth.
The ECB lowered its key rate earlier this month for the fourth time this year, and President Christine Lagarde said earlier this week that the eurozone was getting “very close” to reaching the central bank’s medium-term inflation goal.
“If the incoming data continue to confirm our baseline, the direction of travel is clear and we expect to lower interest rates further,” Lagarde said in a speech in Vilnius.
Inflation in the eurozone was 2.3% last month and the ECB expects it to settle at its 2% target next year.
traded largely flat at 1.2531, with sterling showing signs of weakness after data showed that Britain’s economy failed to grow in the third quarter, and with Bank of England policymakers voting 6-3 to keep interest rates on hold last week, a more dovish split than expected.
Bank of Japan stance in focus
In Asia, fell 0.1% to 157.03, after rising as high as 158 yen in recent sessions, after the signaled that it will take its time to consider more interest rate hikes.
edged 0.1% higher to 7.3021, remaining close to a one-year high as the prospect of more fiscal spending and looser monetary conditions in the coming year weighed on the currency.
Beijing signaled that it will ramp up fiscal spending in 2025 to support slowing economic growth.
Forex
Asia FX muted, dollar recovers as markets look to slower rate cuts
Investing.com– Most Asian currencies moved in a tight range on Tuesday, while the dollar extended overnight gains as traders positioned for a slower pace of interest rate cuts in the coming year.
Trading volumes were muted before the Christmas break, while most regional currencies were nursing steep losses against the greenback for the year.
Asian currencies weakened sharply last week after the Federal Reserve effectively halved its outlook for rate cuts in 2025, citing concerns over sticky U.S. inflation.
Dollar near 2-year high on hawkish rate outlook
The and both rose about 0.1% in Asian trade, extending overnight gains and coming back in sight of a two-year high hit last week.
While the greenback did see some weakness after data read lower than expected for November, this was largely offset by traders dialing back expectations for interest rate cuts in 2025.
The Fed signaled only two rate cuts in the coming year, less than prior forecasts of four.
Higher U.S. rates diminish the appeal of risk-driven Asian markets, limiting the amount of capital flowing into the region and pressuring regional markets.
Asia FX pressured by sticky US rate outlook
Most Asian currencies weakened in recent sessions on the prospect of slower rate cuts in the U.S., while uncertainty over local monetary policy and slowing economic growth also weighed.
The Japanese yen’s pair fell 0.1% on Tuesday after rising as high as 158 yen in recent sessions, after the Bank of Japan signaled that it will take its time to consider more interest rate hikes.
The Australian dollar’s pair fell 0.2% after the minutes of the Reserve Bank’s December meeting showed policymakers saw an eventual easing in monetary policy, citing some progress in bringing down inflation. But they still flagged potential upside risks for inflation.
The Chinese yuan’s pair rose 0.1% and remained close to a one-year high, as the prospect of more fiscal spending and looser monetary conditions in the coming year weighed on the currency.
Beijing signaled that it will ramp up fiscal spending in 2025 to support slowing economic growth.
The Singapore dollar’s pair rose 0.1%, while the Indian rupee’s pair rose 0.1% after hitting record highs above 85 rupees.
Forex
Dollar breaks free, poised for more gains amid US economic outperformance
Investing.com — The dollar has surged past its post-2022 range, buoyed by U.S. economic exceptionalism, a widening interest rate gap, and elevated tariffs, setting the stage for further gains next year.
“Our base case is that the dollar will make some further headway next year as the US continues to outperform, the interest rate gap between the US and other G10 economies widens a little further, and the Trump administration brings in higher US tariffs,” Capital Economics said in a recent note.
The bullish outlook on the greenback comes in the wake of the dollar breaking above its post-2022 trading range, reflecting renewed confidence among investors driven by robust U.S. economic data and policy expectations.
A key risk to the upside call on the dollar is a potential economic rebound in the rest of the world, similar to what occurred in 2016, Capital Economics noted.
Following the 2016 U.S. election, economic activity in the rest of the world rebounded, while Trump’s tax cuts didn’t materialize until the end of 2017, and the Fed took a more dovish path than discounted, resulting in a 10% drop in the DXY on the year, which was its “worst calendar year performance in the past two decades,” it added.
While expectations for a recovery in Europe and Asia seem far off, a positive surprise for global growth “should be ruled out”, Capital Economics said.
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