US Dollar Index rebounds to 99.00 as oil price recovery prompts hawkish Fed risks
- The US Dollar Index recovers to near 99.00 as US-Iran talks collapse, dampening market sentiment.
- Iran refuses to give up its nuclear ambitions.
- Higher oil prices might force traders to raise hawkish Fed bets.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which gauges the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, trades 0.25% higher to near 99.00 during the European trading session on Monday. The US Dollar (USD) gains due to multiple tailwinds, such as risk-off market sentiment and reviving fears that the Federal Reserve (Fed) could raise interest rates this year.
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 Euro.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.33% | 0.28% | 0.26% | 0.04% | 0.20% | 0.12% | 0.13% | |
| EUR | -0.33% | -0.08% | -0.06% | -0.28% | -0.15% | -0.20% | -0.16% | |
| GBP | -0.28% | 0.08% | -0.02% | -0.23% | -0.08% | -0.14% | -0.13% | |
| JPY | -0.26% | 0.06% | 0.02% | -0.26% | -0.10% | -0.17% | -0.09% | |
| CAD | -0.04% | 0.28% | 0.23% | 0.26% | 0.19% | 0.10% | 0.09% | |
| AUD | -0.20% | 0.15% | 0.08% | 0.10% | -0.19% | -0.05% | -0.00% | |
| NZD | -0.12% | 0.20% | 0.14% | 0.17% | -0.10% | 0.05% | 0.04% | |
| CHF | -0.13% | 0.16% | 0.13% | 0.09% | -0.09% | 0.00% | -0.04% |
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).
Market mood turns risk-averse as the first round of talks between the United States (US) and Iran has failed. US-Iran high-stakes talks collapse as Tehran refuses to surrender its intentions of building nuclear weapons.
In response, US President Trump has instructed the blockade of vessels entering and exiting from Iranian ports, which will begin from April 13, 10:00 AM (14:00 GMT).
The collapse of US-Iran talks has resulted in a significant recovery in the oil price. As of writing, WTI Oil price trades almost 8% higher to near $98.00.
Higher oil prices have de-anchored inflation expectations again, a scenario that might force traders to raise bets supporting interest rate hikes by the Fed again.
In late March, traders were pricing in two interest rate hikes by the Fed this year but priced out, following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran.
Going forward, investors will focus on the US Producer Price Index (PPI) data for March, which will be released on Tuesday. The US headline producer inflation is expected to have grown at a faster pace of 4.6% Year-on-Year (YoY) against the preliminary reading of 3.4%.
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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