EUR/USD falls further to near 1.1630 ahead of ECB Lagarde’s speech
- EUR/USD slides further to near 1.1630 as the US Dollar gains due to multiple tailwinds.
- US economic adviser Hassett expresses confidence that government shutdown could end this week.
- Investors await speech from ECB President Lagarde at 11:00 GMT.
The EUR/USD pair extends its two-day downside move to near 1.1630 during the Asian trading session on Tuesday. The major currency pair faces selling pressure as the US Dollar (USD) gains on hopes that the ongoing United States (US) government shutdown will end this week.
During the press time, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, extends its upside to near 98.70.
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 Japanese Yen.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.06% | 0.10% | 0.24% | 0.08% | 0.08% | 0.19% | 0.06% | |
| EUR | -0.06% | 0.04% | 0.18% | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.13% | 0.00% | |
| GBP | -0.10% | -0.04% | 0.12% | -0.02% | -0.01% | 0.09% | -0.04% | |
| JPY | -0.24% | -0.18% | -0.12% | -0.17% | -0.15% | -0.05% | -0.17% | |
| CAD | -0.08% | -0.03% | 0.02% | 0.17% | 0.00% | 0.12% | -0.01% | |
| AUD | -0.08% | -0.03% | 0.01% | 0.15% | -0.01% | 0.10% | -0.04% | |
| NZD | -0.19% | -0.13% | -0.09% | 0.05% | -0.12% | -0.10% | -0.13% | |
| CHF | -0.06% | -0.00% | 0.04% | 0.17% | 0.01% | 0.04% | 0.13% |
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 Monday, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett stated in an interview with CNBC, "I think the Schumer shutdown is likely to end sometime this week.” Hassett referred Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in his statement.
Another reason behind strength in the US Dollar is the growing expectations among market participants that the US and China will reach a consensus when President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will meet later this month at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in South Korea.
On the domestic front, investors await the delayed US Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for September, which will be published on Friday. The inflation data will significantly influence market expectations for the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) monetary policy outlook.
Though investors have underpinned the US Dollar against the Euro (EUR), the latter trades higher against its other peers ahead of the speech from European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde at 11:00 GMT. Lagarde is expected to provide cues about how long the ECB will keep interest rates at their current levels. Investors would also like to know the impact of ban on imports of Russian gas on the economy on inflation in the near term.
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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