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Column-Dollar won’t fall as rest of world won’t let it: Mike Dolan

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By Mike Dolan

LONDON (Reuters) – The dollar just had its best week in two years, showing once again how dangerous it can be to bet against the U.S. currency if the rest of the world just won’t let it drop.

The DXY index, which tracks the dollar against the most widely traded global currencies, surged more than 2% last week – a stunning whiplash, not least for the many speculators who were short on the greenback and waiting for it to swoon.

While the rally was supercharged partly by the blowout U.S. employment report – and related rethink on the Federal Reserve’s interest rate trajectory – the dollar’s rebound was well underway before Friday. The payrolls figures merely put the icing on the cake.

The main catalyst for the renewed dollar strength was the clear signals coming from central banks in Europe and Japan that any efforts by the Fed to up the ante on rate cuts would be matched in kind. 

The rest of the world’s major central bankers certainly took note of the Fed’s outsize 50 basis point opening salvo last month in what it flagged as a 250 basis point easing cycle. 

The move was followed by a series of pointed comments from chiefs and governors of the European Central Bank, Bank of England and Swiss National Bank. They all suggested their own decks were being cleared for accelerated easing as well. 

While the Bank of Japan had been moving in the opposite direction, both the BoJ and the country’s new prime minister threw cold water on plans to further ‘normalize’ policy with higher rates following the Fed’s large cut.

Add to that signs that the SNB is already intervening in currency markets to cap the rise of the Swiss franc, ongoing intervention from the Reserve Bank of India, and even a rebound in China’s foreign currency reserves, and it’s easy to see why the dollar’s long-forecast downward path has been frustrated.

‘STAGGERING’ ACCUMULATION OF US ASSETS

But the really big capital shifts buoying the dollar in less in the public than the private space and reflect the seemingly insatiable appetite of overseas investors for U.S. assets.

Societe Generale (OTC:)’s currency strategist Kit Juckes this week puzzled over why the dollar is rising again so shortly after the Fed has started cutting rates. He noted that the two previous multi-year dollar rallies over the past 50 years were completely reversed after Fed easing commenced.

Juckes highlighted data showing that Japanese trust funds have already resumed buying U.S. Treasuries and overseas demand for dollar call options is rising. The quick return to already overcrowded U.S. markets is, in his words, “taking U.S. exceptionalism to new levels.”

So the dollar remains stubbornly over-valued: the real, broad trade-weighted index is still some 30% above levels seen 10 years ago. This is creating growing disquiet about the sheer scale of global exposure to U.S. assets, the peculiar twist that has on the dollar exchange rate and its effect on U.S. competitiveness and the reemergence of anxiety about ‘global imbalances’ that was prevalent 20 years ago. 

SocGen strategist Juckes highlighted that foreign investors had increased their net holdings of U.S. assets by a “staggering” $40 trillion since 2020 – making it all the more remarkable that this thirst hasn’t yet been slaked.

“I’m certain that a weaker dollar would help reduce some of the imbalances in the global economy, but if investors have so little confidence in their domestic policies and asset markets that they are already returning to the U.S., how does it happen?” he said.

What’s more, there’s little or no sign that U.S. investors have the remotest interest in underperforming overseas markets.

U.S. mutual fund numbers have seen net outflows from global equities over the last month, a fairly consistent trend since the Fed began raising interest rates in March 2022.

So what could shake investors’ unerring faith in the resilience of the U.S. economy, and by extension, the greenback? 

Geopolitical concerns are certainly as high as we’ve seen in many decades. But this, arguably, increases safe haven demand for dollars, encourages U.S. money to hunker down at home and enhances the attraction of unrivalled U.S. scale and liquidity. 

Could the U.S. election or threats to U.S. democracy and institutions rankle investors? 

Certainly a return of Donald Trump to the presidency following the Nov. 5 election may raise concerns, not least given Trump’s well-aired support for both a weak dollar and political control of the Fed. 

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this photo illustration taken February 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo

But it’s telling given that that even with the White House race on a knife edge, the world still appears determined to keep the dollar aloft.

The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters

Forex

Dollar slips off recent highs; Fed officials due to speak

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Investing.com – The U.S. dollar slips slightly from the recently reached one-year high at the start of a week that is light on major economic data but includes comments from a series of Fed speakers. 

At 04:50 ET (09:50 GMT), the Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six other currencies, traded 0.1% lower at 106.497, just off its one-year top of 106.72. 

The index climbed 1.6% over last week, marking six weeks of gains in the last seven.

Dollar retains strength 

The dollar has benefited from a structural bullish shift since Donald Trump’s election near the start of the month, and the macro story hasn’t really offered any reason for second thoughts.

“Inflation data has been hotter than the Federal Reserve’s target would tolerate, and Chair Jerome Powell added a layer of caution on future easing in a speech last week,” said analysts at ING, in a note.

“With very little extra information on the US economy being added this week, the market-implied policy divergence between the Fed and most other G10 central banks could mean that any positioning-led correction will be short lived.”

There are at least seven Fed speakers on the agenda this week, starting later Monday with Chicago Fed President . Although he is regarded widely as more of a dove, most of the officials are expected to sound cautious on aggressive cuts.

Futures imply a 60% chance of the Fed easing by a quarter-point in December and have only 77 basis points of cuts priced in by late 2025, compared with more than 100 bps a few weeks ago.

Euro heading lower

In Europe, traded 0.3% higher to 1.0568, ahead of speeches from a series of European Central Bank officials, including President .

These speakers are likely to sound pretty dovish, even after preliminary figures for October, released last week, showed the bloc grew faster than market watchers expected in the third quarter.

That said, quarterly growth of 0.4% showed the eurozone economy remained fragile, with the largest component – the German economy – particularly weak.

ECB officials will also have to factor in the risk of tariffs hitting EU trade after the election of Donald Trump to the US presidency.

The week ends with the release of the latest activity data for the eurozone, and this will be carefully studied by traders.

“PMIs have become an increasingly important release for the eurozone after the European Central Bank shifted the focus from inflation to growth and is now taking a broader range of soft activity data into account,” ING added.

edged higher to 1.2622, ahead of the release of UK data for October on Wednesday.

Economists expect the annual rate of inflation to have risen 2.2%, which would be an increase from 1.7% in September, the first time the annual rate of inflation dropped below the BoE’s 2% target in more than three years.

The BoE delivered a second 25-basis point rate cut earlier this month and said further cuts were likely to be gradual in the wake of the first budget of Britain’s new government.

Ueda declines to signal a December hike

rose 0.2% to 154.64, after Bank of Japan Governor reiterated that interest rates would continue to rise gradually but made no mention of whether a hike would come in December.

The lack of clear guidance saw the yen retreat, after it had strengthened late last week after Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato warned about possible intervention if the yen fell too far and too fast.

climbed 0.2% to 7.2416, just off a three-month high, with sentiment towards China strained by the prospect of high U.S. trade tariffs against the country, under a Trump administration.

 

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Dollar rises vs yen on BOJ caution while euro sell-off pauses

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By Wayne Cole and Harry Robertson

SYDNEY/LONDON (Reuters) -The dollar climbed against the yen on Monday after Japan’s top central banker flagged further monetary policy tightening ahead but left open the question of timing, while the euro steadied after falling to a one-year low late last week.

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda reiterated that interest rates would continue to rise gradually should the economy develop in line with the central bank’s outlook, in his first opportunity to speak directly on monetary policy since Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5.

However, he made no mention of whether a hike would come in December, saying the BOJ would need to pay attention to various risks, including for the U.S. economy.

The lack of clear guidance saw the dollar rise 0.62% to 155.12 yen and away from Friday’s low of 153.86. It pulled back late last week after Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato on Friday put the market on warning of possible intervention if the yen fell too far and too fast.

“Market participants were watching closely to see if he would give any clear signal that the BoJ are planning on raising rates one more time this year,” said Lee Hardman, currency analyst at MUFG. “However, Governor Ueda refrained from providing any clear signal.”

The market was pricing a roughly 54% chance of a quarter-point hike at the next policy meeting on Dec. 19, little changed from before the speech.

Against a basket of currencies the dollar held at 106.77, having touched a one-year top of 107.07 on Friday. The index climbed 1.6% last week, marking six weeks of gains in the last seven.

The rally has coincided with a 70-basis-point surge in 10-year Treasury yields since the start of October, fuelling a 5.4% rise in the as U.S. bonds have become more attractive.

EURO STEADIES, EYES ON TARIFFS

The euro was last flat at $1.0537 , although it remained uncomfortably close to Thursday’s one-year trough of $1.0496.

Trump’s election victory has caused the euro to slump as investors have priced in the potential for tariffs on the European Union and China, a key European trading partner. Investors and analysts have begun to talk of a possible fall to parity, where one euro equals a dollar.

“If we’re looking next year, I think it’s fair to think we could be trading close to parity or at parity, it really depends on the implementation of the protectionist agenda by Trump,” said Francesco Pesole, currency strategist at ING.

Markets are eager to hear who Trump will pick as Treasury Secretary, with numerous media reports saying the president-elect has extended the list of potential candidates to include former Federal Reserve governor, Kevin Warsh, and billionaire executive Marc Rowan.

Analysts generally assume Trump’s touted policies of tariffs, reduced immigration and debt-funded tax cuts will be inflationary, limiting the scope for further rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

Sterling has also suffered under the dollar’s recent strength, dropping around 2.5% since the election, but held steady on Monday at $1.2622.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Holograms, which show different images and colours depending on the angle at which they are viewed, are seen on the new Japanese 10,000 yen banknote as the new note is displayed at a currency museum of the Bank of Japan, on the day the new notes of 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen and 1,000 yen went into circulation, in Tokyo, Japan July 3, 2024. REUTERS/Issei Kato/Pool/File Photo

At least seven Fed officials are due to speak this week as well as a number of European central bankers.

The data calendar for the U.S. is light this week, but the UK, Japan and Canada all have important inflation reports due, while manufacturing surveys out late in the week will offer a clue to how sentiment is faring since the U.S. election.

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Asia FX fragile; dollar set for stellar week on rate uncertainty, Trump trade

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Investing.com– Most Asian currencies moved little on Friday and were nursing losses for the week, while the dollar steadied at a one-year peak and was set for a strong week as markets dialed back bets on lower U.S. interest rates. 

The dollar was headed for a sixth straight week of gains as it extended its rally on Donald Trump’s election victory from last week. Less dovish statements from the Federal Reserve and strong U.S. inflation readings added to the greenback’s strength. 

This trend weighed heavily on most Asian units, with middling economic readings from China and Japan adding to the negative sentiment on Friday.

Dollar strong as rate cut bets recede on inflation, Powell comments 

The and both rose 0.1% on Friday and were close to a one-year peak hit earlier in the week.

The greenback was up between 1.6% and 2% this week, its best week since end-September.

Gains in the dollar were initially driven by Trump’s election victory, with expansionary policies under his administration expected to drive up inflation in the long term.

In the near-term, sticky and inflation readings spurred doubts over future rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, especially as Chair Jerome Powell said resilience in the U.S. economy gave the central bank more time to consider cutting rates.

His comments saw traders sharply dial back expectations for a 25 basis point cut in December. 

Japanese yen fragile, USDJPY crosses 156 after weak GDP 

The Japanese yen weakened further on Friday, with the pair trading above 156 yen and at its highest level in over three months. 

data for the third quarter showed Japanese economic growth slowed sharply from the prior quarter. While remained strong, weakness in other sectors of the economy, especially in exports and investment, weighed on growth.

The also grew less than expected in Q3, indicating that inflation growth slowed during the quarter. 

Friday’s data drove up hopes that weakness in the economy will keep the Bank of Japan from raising interest rates further- a scenario that bodes poorly for the yen. 

Broader Asian currencies were fragile and headed for weekly losses. The Chinese yuan’s pair rose 0.1% and was set for a seventh straight week of gains.

Chinese missed expectations, while grew more than expected in October on the Golden Week holiday. But overall economic conditions in the country still remained week, with recent stimulus measures largely underwhelming markets.

Focus is now on a potential cut by the People’s Bank next week. 

Concerns over China saw the Australian dollar weaken, with the pair hovering around a three-month low. 

The Singapore dollar’s pair fell 0.1%, while the South Korean won’s pair fell 0.2%. Both currencies were headed for losses this week.

The Indian rupee’s pair steadied after hitting record highs this week.

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