US Dollar continues weak ahead of the weekend as markets bet on a dovish Fed
- US Dollar continues losing ground in light of weak CPI figures and UoM data.
- Markets still foresee a September rate cut.
- Despite hot PPI data, US Treasury yields are falling, diminishing allure of USD.
The US Dollar Index (DXY) remains weak on Friday, sitting at April lows. This is largely a response to the soft US Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures on Thursday, combined with softer University of Michigan (UoM) sentiment data, both supporting the prospect of a Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cut in September.
Although the market’s confidence in a pending rate cut is growing, Fed officials have maintained a careful approach, emphasizing their dependence on rigorous data analysis before initiating such substantial changes.
Daily digest market movers: DXY wanes despite rising PPI
- US Producer Price Index (PPI) for final demand rose to 2.6% YoY in June, an increase from 2.2% last month, as revealed by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday. This outcome exceeded market expectations of 2.3%.
- Annual core PPI increased by 3% during the same period, surpassing both the previous month’s rise and the anticipated market figure of 2.3%.
- On a monthly basis, PPI and core PPI escalated by 0.2% and 0.4%, respectively.
- Despite positive PPI data, soft CPI figures and softer UoM sentiment data (reported at 66.0 versus the forecast of 68.5 and the previous value of 68.2) continue to bolster the argument for a September rate cut.
- CME FedWatch Tool now shows an 86% probability of a 25-basis-point cut in September, and some investors bet on a 50-basis-point cut
DXY technical outlook: Bearish sentiment worsens as DXY breaches 200-day SMA
The DXY Index’s breach of its 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) has intensified the negative outlook for the USD, with indicators including the Relative Strength Index (RSI) and the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) still deep in a negative trajectory.
The index now trades at its lowest level since April, amplifying the bearish sentiment. But after losing more than 0.80% in just two sessions, a slight upward correction may be possible. However, the overall technical outlook remains bearish.
US Dollar FAQs
The US Dollar (USD) is the official currency of the United States of America, and the ‘de facto’ currency of a significant number of other countries where it is found in circulation alongside local notes. It is the most heavily traded currency in the world, accounting for over 88% of all global foreign exchange turnover, or an average of $6.6 trillion in transactions per day, according to data from 2022. Following the second world war, the USD took over from the British Pound as the world’s reserve currency. For most of its history, the US Dollar was backed by Gold, until the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1971 when the Gold Standard went away.
The most important single factor impacting on the value of the US Dollar is monetary policy, which is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability (control inflation) and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these two goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, the Fed will raise rates, which helps the USD value. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates, which weighs on the Greenback.
In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve can also print more Dollars and enact quantitative easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used when credit has dried up because banks will not lend to each other (out of the fear of counterparty default). It is a last resort when simply lowering interest rates is unlikely to achieve the necessary result. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice to combat the credit crunch that occurred during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy US government bonds predominantly from financial institutions. QE usually leads to a weaker US Dollar.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing in new purchases. It is usually positive for the US Dollar.