A sudden return of market scrutiny on US regional banks is adding a rather unexpected negative factor to the dollar. US equities took a hit yesterday, with the S&P500 regional banks sub-index plummeting 5% after two lenders reported problems with loans associated with fraud.
Recent rise in US Dollar (USD) was stopped in its track. DXY last at 98.81 levels, OCBC's FX analysts Frances Cheung and Christopher Wong note.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) caught a firm bid on Friday, rising 482 points, or 1.04%, bottom-to-top. The Dow briefly pierced the 47,000 major price handle for the first time ever, before easing back to a more sedate +300 points (0.65%) on the day.