US Dollar continues to bleed on firming US economic risks
- The US Dollar Index slides to near 99.50 amid fears that Trump’s tariff policy is painful for the US economy.
- US President Trump has increased reciprocal tariffs on China to 125%.
- Fears of a potential decline in the purchasing power of US households have dampened consumer sentiment.
The US Dollar (USD) continues to face an intense selling pressure, with the US Dollar Index (DXY) sliding to near 99.50. The USD Index has extended its losing streak for the third trading day amid escalating trade war between the United States (US) and China.
US Dollar PRICE Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the strongest against the Swiss Franc.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.21% | -0.85% | -0.60% | -0.04% | -0.59% | -0.91% | -0.03% | |
| EUR | 0.21% | -0.15% | 0.08% | 0.62% | 0.37% | -0.27% | 0.62% | |
| GBP | 0.85% | 0.15% | 0.60% | 0.76% | 0.52% | -0.12% | 0.77% | |
| JPY | 0.60% | -0.08% | -0.60% | 0.52% | -0.26% | -0.56% | 0.71% | |
| CAD | 0.04% | -0.62% | -0.76% | -0.52% | -0.51% | -0.87% | -0.06% | |
| AUD | 0.59% | -0.37% | -0.52% | 0.26% | 0.51% | -0.63% | 0.25% | |
| NZD | 0.91% | 0.27% | 0.12% | 0.56% | 0.87% | 0.63% | 0.91% | |
| CHF | 0.03% | -0.62% | -0.77% | -0.71% | 0.06% | -0.25% | -0.91% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).
Last week, Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs on all of its trading partners, except China. The situation worsened after Trump raised reciprocal levies on China to 125% for imposing significant counter-tariffs on the US. The 90-day reciprocal tariff pause was a big relief for all associated nations, which led to a sharp recovery in global equities, including the US.
However, the US Dollar continues to face pressure as investors expect Trump’s yes-no on import duties and tit-for-tat tariff fight with China is undermining its structural attractiveness. This has also led to a sharp unwinding of US government bonds. 10-year US Treasury yields are up almost 14% from the last week but have dropped over 1% in Monday’s European trading hours.
Additionally, deep diving consumer sentiment of US households under Trump’s leadership has also weighed on the US Dollar. On Friday, the University of Michigan (UoM) reported on Friday that preliminary Consumer Sentiment Index came in significantly lower at 50.8, compared to estimates of 54.5 and the former reading of 57.0. US households are losing their faith amid expectations that Trump’s protectionist policies will diminish the purchasing power of households significantly.
Meanwhile, de-anchoring consumer inflation expectations assuming that US importers will bear the burden of higher tariffs are also complicating the job of the Federal Reserve (Fed), which aims to maintain price stability and full employment.
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.
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