USD Stalls At Highs

The US Dollar is on course to post its first losing week in seven weeks today. Mixed data over the week has diluted the recent bull sentiment which had been driving the market higher. Some undershooting in inflation data and softer retail sales readings have seen front-end Fed rate cut pricing creeping higher with traders now pricing a roughly 35% chance of a cut in March and over a 50% chance in May. USD has previously been rallying firmly, bolstered by a bumper set of US jobs data which had fuelled a scaling back of rate-cut expectations. However, in light of this recent data, traders are sensing the risk that a could still a materialise in coming months depending on how data develops in that time.

Trump & USD

Looking ahead, the big focus for the Dollar near-term is Trump’s return to office next week. Given the noise we’ve heard around trade tariffs and trade restrictions, there is a lot of volatility risk seen next week though USD looks likely to benefit near-term, from a safe-haven standpoint at the very least. Trump’s protectionist and pro-growth policies are expected to favour USD with upside inflation risks seen adding to bullish sentiment. Against this backdrop, USD could well see a fresh topside run next week particularly fi Trump makes any unexpected policy moves, adding to uncertainty as he return to power.

Technical Views

DXY

The rally in DXY has stalled for now into the 109.35 level. However, with price still in the bull channel, the focus is on a continuation higher and a breakout towards the 110.86 level next. Downside, 107.25 remains key support to watch.