US Dollar Index stabilizes around 97.40 after Trump's latest tariffs, Fed minutes
- The US Dollar Index trades calmly around 97.40 after Trump’s latest tariff salvo.
- So far, Trump has announced new tariff rates for 21 nations.
- Fed Waller is expected to argue in favor of reducing interest rates in the policy meeting later this month.
The US Dollar (USD) trades broadly stable during European trading hours on Thursday, while United States (US) President Trump announces the latest salvo of tariffs.
At the time of writing, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, trades calmly near the two-week high around 97.80.
US Dollar PRICE Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the strongest against the Swiss Franc.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.12% | -0.22% | -0.06% | -0.16% | -0.40% | -0.29% | 0.03% | |
| EUR | 0.12% | -0.11% | 0.05% | -0.00% | -0.25% | -0.17% | 0.14% | |
| GBP | 0.22% | 0.11% | 0.14% | 0.08% | -0.14% | -0.06% | 0.24% | |
| JPY | 0.06% | -0.05% | -0.14% | -0.09% | -0.32% | -0.17% | -0.01% | |
| CAD | 0.16% | 0.00% | -0.08% | 0.09% | -0.20% | -0.16% | 0.16% | |
| AUD | 0.40% | 0.25% | 0.14% | 0.32% | 0.20% | 0.04% | 0.38% | |
| NZD | 0.29% | 0.17% | 0.06% | 0.17% | 0.16% | -0.04% | 0.31% | |
| CHF | -0.03% | -0.14% | -0.24% | 0.01% | -0.16% | -0.38% | -0.31% |
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 Wednesday, US President Trump revealed new reciprocal tariff rates for seven nations that have failed to strike a trade deal during the 90-day tariff pause. Trump also sent letters to 14 nations over the weekend, specifying new tariff rates, with notable names being Japan and South Korea, which are leading trading partners of Washington.
Meanwhile, investors seek the current status of trade negotiations between the US and its major trading partners, such as the Eurozone, Canada, and Mexico.
Another reason behind the stabilized US Dollar is the message from the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes of the June 17-18 policy meeting that a majority of members argued against monetary policy adjustments in the near term. A higher number of Federal Reserve (Fed) officials anticipated interest rate cuts later this year only if they see tariff-driven inflation as “modest or temporary”.
In today’s session, investors will focus on commentaries from a slew of Fed officials, such as Governor Christopher Waller, Mary Daly, and Alberto Musalem.
In late June, Fed Waller supported interest rate cuts in the July policy meeting, citing growing risks to the labor market. “The Fed should not wait for the job market to crash in order to cut rates,” Waller said.
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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