US Dollar retreats, DXY loses gains from sharp recovery on Wednesday
- US GDP Q1 revisions and increasing Jobless Claims affects USD negatively.
- Weekly Jobless Claims rose higher than expected.
- Markets look forward to PCE figures on Friday.
On Thursday, the US Dollar Index (DXY) experienced a retreat after a sharp recovery on Wednesday. The gains linked to the bond market surge on Wednesday are now being undone following the release of US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) revisions and soft Jobless Claims figures.
Despite some signs of a softening labor market, the likelihood of cuts in June and July remains low. However, there is heightened anticipation for the Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) figures due out on Friday, which have the potential to influence the next Federal Reserve (Fed) expectations.
Daily digest market movers: DXY retreats following disappointing data
- Investors are showing signs of nervousness with a disappointing GDP report due to signs of softening Consumer Spending. The headline GDP was revised to 1.3%.
- Markets eagerly anticipate PCE figures from April, which are due on Friday and could sway the Fed's decisions.
- Unemployment data revealed an increase in Initial Jobless Claims from last week's 216K to 219K.
- Despite the increased claims, odds of a cut for June and July remain low while standing around 50% for September.
DXY technical analysis: US Dollar struggles amid negative indicators
The DXY's gains from Wednesday have been mostly trimmed in light of the less-than-favorable data for the US economy. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is below the 50-level, indicating increased selling pressure and a shift in momentum. The index lost the 20-day Simple Moving Average (SMA), and the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is showing red bars, signifying that bearish sentiment has returned.
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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