US Dollar Index slumps to near 99.10 amid US-EU dispute over Greenland’s sovereignty
- The US Dollar Index falls sharply to near 99.10 amid tensions between the US and EU over Greenland’s acquisition.
- EU’s von der Leyen warns of dangerous downward spiral risk in response to US tariff threats.
- Fed’s Bowman argues in favor of more interest rate cuts amid weak job market conditions.
The US Dollar (USD) underperforms its major peers at the start of the week amid disputes between economies from both sides of the Atlantic over Washington’s plans to acquire Greenland. At the time of writing, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, is down 0.25% to near 99.15.
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 Swiss Franc.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.25% | -0.13% | -0.14% | -0.16% | -0.15% | -0.36% | -0.54% | |
| EUR | 0.25% | 0.12% | 0.11% | 0.09% | 0.10% | -0.11% | -0.29% | |
| GBP | 0.13% | -0.12% | 0.00% | -0.03% | -0.03% | -0.23% | -0.41% | |
| JPY | 0.14% | -0.11% | 0.00% | -0.04% | -0.03% | -0.23% | -0.41% | |
| CAD | 0.16% | -0.09% | 0.03% | 0.04% | 0.01% | -0.19% | -0.38% | |
| AUD | 0.15% | -0.10% | 0.03% | 0.03% | -0.01% | -0.21% | -0.39% | |
| NZD | 0.36% | 0.11% | 0.23% | 0.23% | 0.19% | 0.21% | -0.18% | |
| CHF | 0.54% | 0.29% | 0.41% | 0.41% | 0.38% | 0.39% | 0.18% |
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).
On Saturday, United States (US) President Donald Trump threatened 10% tariffs on imports from several European Union (EU) members, through a post on Truth.Social, for opposing his plans of “complete and total purchase of Greenland”, which will come into effect from February 1.
European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen warned through a post on X that US President Trump’s plans to acquire Greenland could impact “territory’s integrity and sovereignty” that could undermine “transatlantic relations”, resulting in a risk of “dangerous downward spiral".
The event could be unfavorable for US-EU relations in the long term, increasing the likelihood that the old continent could explore alternative means of exchange for trade, which could undermine the general acceptability of the US Dollar further.
Meanwhile, dovish comments from Federal Reserve (Fed) Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman on the US interest rate outlook are also being a major drag on the US Dollar. Bowman argued in a speech on Friday that the Fed should be prepared to bring interest rates to their neutral level as labor market conditions remain fragile.
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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