Dollar Edges Higher; Covid Hits Consumer Sentiment

Aug 19, 2021

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By Peter Nurse

Investing.com – The greenback edged increased in early European buying and selling Monday, however remained close to a one-week low as rising Covid-19 instances and slumping U.S. client confidence might stress the Federal Reserve to delay tapering its bond-buying program. 

At 2:55 AM ET (0755 GMT), the Greenback Index, which tracks the buck in opposition to a basket of six different currencies, traded lower than 0.1% increased at 92.550, however that is nonetheless round 0.5% decrease than the degrees seen on the finish of final week.

was 0.2% decrease at 109.38, was marginally decrease at 1.1789, fell 0.1% to 1.3854, whereas the risk-sensitive fell 0.4% to 0.7340 after Australian Covid-19 lockdowns had been prolonged over the weekend.

A confidence survey launched late final week confirmed U.S. client sentiment sliding to the bottom stage since 2011 amid an acceleration in Covid-19 instances brought on by the fast-spreading delta variant.

The variety of kids hospitalized with the coronavirus in america hit a file excessive of simply over 1,900 on Saturday, an alarming growth on condition that the virus has to date taken extra of a toll on the older and unhealthier elements of the inhabitants. .

That is inflicting merchants to pause for thought after inflation and employment numbers, additionally launched final week, added to the rising expectations of an asset-tapering announcement from the Federal Reserve by the top of this yr.

The Fed’s central banking convention in Jackson Gap, Wyoming, later this month is now firmly within the highlight, however forward of that Chairman Jerome Powell speaks on Tuesday and the central financial institution releases minutes of its final coverage assembly a day later.

Nonetheless, the greenback is buying and selling in slim ranges with the collapse of the Afghan authorities pointing risk-averse merchants in direction of protected havens.

“Geopolitical developments in Afghanistan over the weekend are dominating the world’s headlines however it’s in all probability too early to evaluate what might be the fall-out within the FX market,” stated analysts at ING, in a notice.

fell 0.2% to 0.7022 forward of a Reserve Financial institution of New Zealand’s on Wednesday, which might consequence within the first hike within the nation’s benchmark rate of interest since 2014 after final week’s robust employment figures.

 

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