United States Dollar Index slumps to near 99.75 due to Iran deal hopes
- The US Dollar Index trades lower against its major currency peers amid the risk-on mood.
- US President Trump expresses confidence that a deal with Iran could be announced within the next two or three days.
- Investors await the US CPI data for May.
The US Dollar (USD) underperforms its major currency peers during the European trading session on Tuesday, as renewed hopes of a permanent peace deal between the United States (US) and Iran have diminished its safe-haven demand.
US Dollar Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the weakest against the New Zealand Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.31% | -0.45% | 0.00% | -0.19% | -0.19% | -0.55% | -0.27% | |
| EUR | 0.31% | -0.11% | 0.33% | 0.12% | 0.16% | -0.21% | 0.07% | |
| GBP | 0.45% | 0.11% | 0.45% | 0.26% | 0.25% | -0.09% | 0.19% | |
| JPY | 0.00% | -0.33% | -0.45% | -0.18% | -0.18% | -0.54% | -0.25% | |
| CAD | 0.19% | -0.12% | -0.26% | 0.18% | 0.00% | -0.35% | -0.07% | |
| AUD | 0.19% | -0.16% | -0.25% | 0.18% | 0.00% | -0.35% | -0.04% | |
| NZD | 0.55% | 0.21% | 0.09% | 0.54% | 0.35% | 0.35% | 0.27% | |
| CHF | 0.27% | -0.07% | -0.19% | 0.25% | 0.07% | 0.04% | -0.27% |
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).
As of writing, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, trades 0.27% lower to near 99.73.
The Iran deal hopes have intensified, following remarks from US President Donald Trump that negotiations with Tehran are in “final throes” and the Strait of Hormuz could open up in “two or three days” if an agreement with Tehran is secured, The Guardian reported.
The US Dollar had outperformed in the last few months as elevated oil prices due to Hormuz closure boosted inflationary pressures globally and prompted hawkish Federal Reserve (Fed) bets.
According to the CME FedWatch tool, there is an almost 69% chance that the Fed will deliver at least one interest rate hike this year. This is a sharp turnaround from two interest rate cuts anticipated before the onset of the Middle East war.
Meanwhile, investors await the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for May, which will be released on Wednesday. Investors will pay close attention to the US inflation data to get fresh cues regarding the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) monetary policy outlook.
The US headline CPI is expected to arrive higher at 4.2% Year-on-Year (YoY) from 3.8% in April. In the same period, the core CPI – which excludes volatile food and energy items – grew at a faster pace of 2.9% against the previous reading of 2.8%.
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.