The EUR/USD ranged from the low 1.07’s to the low 1.06’s overnight. The euro dropped to its lowest level since mid-November on Friday after the European Central Bank signaled it could cut rates as soon as June even with a hot U.S. economy likely forcing the Federal Reserve to wait until later in the year.
Meanwhile, the Japanese yen fell to a new 34-year low as the dollar continued to charge higher, leaving investors vigilant for signs of intervention from Tokyo officials.
The euro dropped to $1.0674 in early European trading and was last down 0.47% just above that level. It was on track to have fallen 1.5% since Monday, its biggest weekly drop since mid-2023.
A hot U.S. inflation print on Wednesday caused investors to rapidly rein in their bets on Fed rate cuts this year, moving the estimated start date from June to September.
But on Thursday the ECB signaled it was still likely to start cutting rates in the summer, given that inflation has fallen more sharply in the single-currency bloc.
The dollar index , which tracks the currency against six peers, was last up 0.38% at 105.67, a five-month high. It has jumped 1.3% this week, the biggest five-day gain since May 2023.
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The difference in interest rate expectations has pushed the gap between U.S. bond yields and German euro zone benchmark yields to the highest since 2019, making U.S. bonds more attractive and boosting the dollar.
Britain’s pound was trading around its lowest since December, another victim of dollar strength, down 0.34% at $1.2511.
A strong dollar kept yen under pressure, with the U.S. currency rising to its highest since mid-1990 on Friday at 153.39 yen before cooling slightly to 153.26.
Investors have been on the lookout for potential intervention as the yen has continued to slide.
The Japanese currency was set for a weekly decline of more than 1% and has slumped some 8% since the start of the year as Japanese interest rates have remained far lower than those in the U.S.
China’s yuan was little changed after data which showed the country’s March exports contracted sharply, while imports also unexpectedly shrank, both undershooting market forecasts by big margins.
The yuan has fallen to its lowest since November at around 7.238 to the dollar as the economy has struggled to regain momentum and U.S. growth has remained strong.
Elsewhere, the dollar also gained sharply against Sweden’s crown after data showed Swedish inflation slowed more than expected in March, bolstering hopes that the central bank will soon be cutting interest rates.
The dollar was last up 0.57%, close to a five-month high.
Source: Reuters
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