FOREX-Dollar dips ahead of inflation data due Wednesday

Kitco Media
By Reuters
Published:
Updated:
Reuters
(Adds comments from Fed officials, data, updates prices) By Karen Brettell NEW YORK, April 11 (Reuters) - The dollar fell on Tuesday as investors waited on inflation data for further signs of whether price pressures are ebbing and what it means for further Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. Consumer price data on Wednesday is expected to show headline inflation rose by 0.2% in March, while core inflation rose 0.4%. "A lot of traders are focused on this inflation data," said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York. "Everyone's trying to get a sense of does the disinflation process return and does this complicate what the Fed does." The Fed is seen as likely to hike rates by an additional 25 basis points at its May 2-3 meeting, before pausing in June. Markets are also pricing for the Fed to cut rates by year-end on an expected recession, though Fed officials have stressed the need to keep rates high in order to bring down inflation. Strong jobs data for March have added to expectations that the U.S. central bank will complete one more rate hike. The data on Friday showed employers added 236,000 jobs while the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%. New York Fed President John Williams said on Tuesday that the prospect of the Fed raising its benchmark interest rate only once more and in a 25 basis point increment is a useful starting point but the central bank's policy path will depend on incoming data.


Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said the U.S. central bank should be cautious about raising rates in the face of recent banking stress, noting that a pullback in bank lending would help quell inflation and leave less for monetary policy to do.


Meanwhile, the Fed is on a path to shrink the size of its massive stock of cash and bonds for several more years, and will likely also face several more years of negative net income as well, according to a report from the New York Fed. The dollar index fell 0.26% to 102.20. The euro gained 0.41% to $1.0906. The euro was also likely boosted by a rise in European bond yields on Tuesday as traders in the region returned after markets were closed on Friday and Monday for the Easter holiday. Algorithms trading currencies based on the difference between European and U.S. rates might have sold euros for dollars when U.S. Treasury yields rose after the jobs data while European bond markets were closed, said Simon Harvey, head of FX analysis at Monex Europe. European bond yields rose sharply on Tuesday, catching up after the break. GVD/EUR "There's just that catch-up effect flushing through," Harvey said.


The dollar edged higher against the yen, after jumping on Monday as Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda signaled no hurry to dial back its massive stimulus. The dollar was last up 0.08% against the Japanese currency at 133.73. In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin breached the key $30,000 level for the first time in 10 months. It was last up 1.9% on the day at $30,219.
======================================================== Currency bid prices at 2:38PM (1838 GMT) Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid Previous Change


Session
Dollar index 102.2000 102.4700 -0.26% -1.246% +102.5100 +102.0000 Euro/Dollar $1.0906 $1.0861 +0.41% +1.78% +$1.0928 +$1.0862 Dollar/Yen 133.7250 133.6000 +0.08% +1.98% +133.7550 +132.9700 Euro/Yen 145.85 145.08 +0.53% +3.96% +145.8600 +144.8800 Dollar/Swiss 0.9031 0.9096 -0.70% -2.32% +0.9093 +0.9030 Sterling/Dollar $1.2418 $1.2384 +0.29% +2.70% +$1.2456 +$1.2388 Dollar/Canadian 1.3470 1.3509 -0.27% -0.57% +1.3516 +1.3469 Aussie/Dollar $0.6651 $0.6642 +0.14% -2.43% +$0.6680 +$0.6640 Euro/Swiss 0.9850 0.9876 -0.26% -0.45% +0.9891 +0.9850 Euro/Sterling 0.8781 0.8768 +0.15% -0.71% +0.8790 +0.8764 NZ $0.6189 $0.6217 -0.44% -2.52% +$0.6233 +$0.6185 Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway 10.5650 10.5260 +0.56% +7.86% +10.6010 +10.4690 Euro/Norway 11.5258 11.4231 +0.90% +9.84% +11.5737 +11.4052 Dollar/Sweden 10.4543 10.5212 -0.21% +0.45% +10.5166 +10.4327 Euro/Sweden 11.4025 11.4267 -0.21% +2.27% +11.4412 +11.3920



(Reporting by Karen Brettell; Additional reporting by Alun John in London; Editing by Alexander Smith)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.