FX Market
The dollar edged back from a 16-month high on Thursday as traders assessed whether the U.S. currency’s recent surge, fueled by diverging central bank tightening expectations amid surging inflation around the globe, had gone too far.
The dollar eased back from near an almost 16-month high versus major peers on Monday, as traders awaited fresh clues on the U.S. economy after bringing forward bets last week for a Federal Reserve interest rate hike on the back of red-hot inflation.
The dollar index, which measures the currency against six peers, eased 0.13% to 95.012 from Friday, when it posted its biggest weekly gain since mid-August and touched 95.266 for the first time since July 2020.
The dollar trod water against major peers on Wednesday after weakening in the past three days, and traded near a one-month low to the yen, with investors awaiting U.S. inflation data for a clue to when the Federal Reserve might raise interest rates. The safe-haven yen also benefited from global stocks retreating from a record peak as rising oil prices stoked inflation worries.
The dollar was on course for a second straight week of gains against major peers on Friday, ahead of a key U.S. jobs report that could sway the timing of Federal Reserve interest rate increases. Sterling headed for its worst week in 11 after the Bank of England caught the market off-guard by keeping rates steady on Thursday.
