United States Dollar Index trades subduedly below 100.00 ahead of US data
- The US Dollar Index trades slightly lower at around 99.80 ahead of the US ADP Employment Change and the ISM Services PMI data.
- The Fed is not interested in delivering “forward-guidance” on interest rates anymore.
- Investors also await the outcome of US-Iran talks.
The US Dollar (USD) reflects a subdued performance against its peers ahead of the United States (US) ADP Employment Change and the ISM Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data for July, which will be published in the North American session.
At press time, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which gauges the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, trades marginally lower to near 99.80.
US Dollar Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the weakest against the British Pound.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.09% | -0.14% | -0.03% | 0.00% | 0.03% | 0.47% | 0.03% | |
| EUR | 0.09% | -0.03% | 0.05% | 0.10% | 0.12% | 0.55% | 0.12% | |
| GBP | 0.14% | 0.03% | 0.08% | 0.13% | 0.15% | 0.61% | 0.16% | |
| JPY | 0.03% | -0.05% | -0.08% | 0.05% | 0.08% | 0.51% | 0.06% | |
| CAD | -0.00% | -0.10% | -0.13% | -0.05% | 0.03% | 0.49% | 0.03% | |
| AUD | -0.03% | -0.12% | -0.15% | -0.08% | -0.03% | 0.44% | -0.02% | |
| NZD | -0.47% | -0.55% | -0.61% | -0.51% | -0.49% | -0.44% | -0.43% | |
| CHF | -0.03% | -0.12% | -0.16% | -0.06% | -0.03% | 0.02% | 0.43% |
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).
The impact of the US data will be significant on the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) interest rate expectations, as policymakers have ditched delivering “forward-guidance” on monetary policy.
According to estimates, the ADP will show a fresh addition of 70K payrolls in the private sector, lower than 98K in June. The ISM Services PMI is seen arriving higher at 54.5 from 54.0 in June.
Currently, the CME FedWatch tool shows a 56.7% chance that the Fed will raise interest rates in the September policy meeting.
On the global front, investors await the outcome of ongoing talks between the US and Iran regarding the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. On Tuesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with CNBC that Washington could reach a deal with Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz within the next two days. Such a scenario would weigh on oil prices by easing supply disruptions and anchor inflation expectations.
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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