The USD Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback vs. a bundle of its main competitors, gained traction and broke above the 103.00 hurdles on Thursday.
USD Index Looks Supported Near 102.70
After two consecutive daily losses, the index regains some balance and reclaims the area above the 103.00 barriers following the post-FOMC decline to multi-week lows in the 102.70/65 band on Wednesday.
The daily uptick in the Buck appears propped up by the move higher in US yields across the curve after the FOMC event left the door open to extra rate hikes in H2 2023.
Indeed, at the Fed’s gathering, officials decided to maintain interest rates at their current level after ten consecutive increases. However, their economic forecasts surprised observers by projecting an additional two quarter-point hikes for the remainder of the year. This is indicative that the majority of policymakers are in agreement that further tightening is necessary to address inflationary pressures.
The US Dollar will also pay close attention to the ECB meeting later in the European afternoon, as investors anticipate a 25 bps hike by the central bank.
An exciting session in the US docket will see the usual weekly Claims seconded by the Philly Fed Manufacturing gauge, Industrial and Manufacturing Production, Business Inventories, and TIC Flows to conclude the daily calendar.
What To Look For Around USD
The index gathers decent impulse after bottoming out in the vicinity of 102.70 in the wake of the FOMC gathering on Wednesday.
In the meantime, bets for another 25 bps rate hike at the Fed’s gathering in July remain well on the cards against the backdrop of the steady resilience of key US fundamentals (employment and prices, mainly).
Chief Powell also reinforced the above-mentioned scenario on Wednesday after he deemed the July meeting “live,” while most of the Committee seems ready to resume the tightening campaign as soon as next month.
Key events in the US this week: Initial Jobless Claims, Philly Fed Manufacturing Index, Retail Sales, NY Empire State Index, Industrial Production, Business Inventories, TIC Flows (Thursday) – Flash Michigan Consumer Sentiment (Friday).
Eminent issues on the back boiler: Persistent debate over a soft/hard landing of the US economy. Terminal Interest rate near the peak vs. speculation of rate cuts in late 2023/early 2024. Fed’s pivot. Geopolitical effervescence vs. Russia and China. US-China trade conflict.
USD Index Relevant Levels
Now, the index is gaining 0.14% at 103.14, and the breakout of 104.69 (monthly high May 31) would open the door to 105.32 (200-day SMA) and then 105.88 (2023 high March 8). On the downside, the next support emerges at 102.66 (monthly low June 14), seconded by 102.56 (55-day SMA) and finally 100.78 (2023 low April 14).