By Harry Robertson
LONDON (Reuters) – If buyers agree on one factor this yr, it is that the greenback goes to fall. That is made the dollar’s 2% bounce during the last month significantly complicated.
U.S. inflation is cooling and the Federal Reserve might pause its rate of interest hikes subsequent month. So the greenback needs to be on the best way down, proper?
Analysts say quite a few components are most likely at play. One is {that a} vary of worries – in regards to the U.S. debt ceiling negotiations, the well being of banks, and the worldwide economic system’s outlook – are burnishing the greenback’s safe-haven credentials.
In the meantime, there are some indicators that the Fed might have to lift charges once more, and that extra technical components to do with investor positioning are concerned.
DEBT CEILING FEARS
The greenback index – which measures the U.S. foreign money in opposition to six others – has risen roughly 2% for the reason that center of April to round 103, though it is nonetheless down round 10% from final September’s 20-year excessive of 114.78.
The go-to rationalization of foreign money strategists proper now’s the debt-ceiling debacle is boosting the greenback.
Democrats and Republicans are inching nearer to reaching an settlement on elevating the $31.4 trillion borrowing restrict. However the specter of a probably catastrophic U.S. debt default lingers, at a time when many banks look weak.
When markets are confronted with worries like that, they usually purchase much less dangerous property reminiscent of bonds, gold, and {dollars}.
“The current USD energy is basically pushed by elevated safe-haven demand in view of ‘unknown unknowns’,” mentioned Esther Reichelt, foreign money strategist at Commerzbank.
“How extreme are vulnerabilities in U.S. regional banks and what may be the fallout of an escalation within the U.S. debt ceiling battle?”
Some worrying indicators about world financial development might also be contributing to safe-haven shopping for. Information out of China this week confirmed that its economic system underperformed in April.
THE FED MAY NOT BE FINISHED
Alvin Tan, head of Asia FX technique at RBC Capital Markets, doubts the safe-haven argument.
If buyers had been fearful, shares could be falling, he mentioned. In actuality the S&P 500 index has been flat for the reason that center of April and is up greater than 8% this yr.
Tan mentioned considerations that the Fed has not but slain inflation are a part of the story. A College of Michigan survey launched final week confirmed shopper inflation expectations rose to a five-year excessive of three.2% in Might, lifting bond yields and the greenback.
Merchants at the moment count on the U.S. central financial institution to chop rates of interest sharply later this yr as a recession takes maintain, but Tan is skeptical.
“We expect there’s an opportunity that U.S. rates of interest may grind larger,” he mentioned. “We stay unconvinced by the argument that the greenback is on a gradual decline from right here.”
NATURAL REBOUND
For different analysts, so-called technical components are at play.
Buyers have mounted huge bets in opposition to the greenback. The web quick bets of hedge funds and different speculators amounted to $14.56 billion final week, information from the Commodity Futures Buying and selling Fee reveals, the most important such place since mid-2021.
Counter-intuitively, that positioning may help drive rallies. If the greenback rises barely, some merchants could also be compelled to shut out their quick positions by shopping for the greenback, which then boosts its worth.
“The greenback may be very, very oversold,” mentioned Chester Ntonifor, FX strategist at BCA Analysis.
“That is one technical indicator. However a easy technical indicator is that it is vitally atypical so that you can have a straight-line decline within the greenback.”
(Reporting by Harry Robertson; Enhancing by Paul Simao)