Here is what you need to know on Tuesday, April 16:
The US Dollar (USD) continues to gather strength early Tuesday after outperforming its major rivals on Monday. The US economic docket will feature Housing Starts and Building Permits data for March. The Federal Reserve (Fed) will release Industrial Production figures and several Fed policymakers, including Chairman Jerome Powell, will be delivering speeches later in the American session.
Although easing geopolitical tensions made it difficult for the USD to find demand in the first half of the day on Monday, the currency gathered bullish momentum after upbeat Retail Sales data. In turn, the USD Index closed in positive territory for the fourth consecutive day. Early Tuesday, the index continues to push higher toward 106.50 and trades at its strongest level since early November. Meanwhile, the benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield holds steady above 4.6% after rising nearly 2% on Monday.
US Dollar price in the last 7 days
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies in the last 7 days. US Dollar was the strongest against the Australian Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | CAD | AUD | JPY | NZD | CHF | |
| USD | 2.36% | 1.91% | 1.73% | 2.88% | 1.74% | 2.47% | 0.92% | |
| EUR | -2.41% | -0.46% | -0.64% | 0.56% | -0.61% | 0.13% | -1.47% | |
| GBP | -1.94% | 0.46% | -0.17% | 1.00% | -0.17% | 0.60% | -0.99% | |
| CAD | -1.76% | 0.63% | 0.18% | 1.17% | 0.01% | 0.75% | -0.84% | |
| AUD | -2.96% | -0.54% | -1.02% | -1.19% | -1.17% | -0.43% | -1.99% | |
| JPY | -1.77% | 0.63% | 0.18% | -0.02% | 1.17% | 0.74% | -0.84% | |
| NZD | -2.54% | -0.12% | -0.57% | -0.77% | 0.41% | -0.74% | -1.60% | |
| CHF | -0.95% | 1.44% | 1.02% | 0.83% | 1.96% | 0.85% | 1.60% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Euro from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent EUR (base)/JPY (quote).
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian reportedly told his Chinese counterpart in a phone conversation that Iran is willing to "exercise restraint and has no intention of further escalating the situation." Following the sharp decline seen in Wall Street's main indexes on Monday, US stock index futures trade marginally lower early Tuesday.
During the Asian trading hours, the data from China showed that the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded at an annual rate of 5.3% in the first quarter. This reading followed the 5.2% growth recorded in the fourth quarter of 2023 and came in better than the market expectation of 5%. On a negative note, Retail Sales in China grew 3.1% on a yearly basis in March, falling short of analysts' estimate for an increase of 4.5%.
AUD/USD came under bearish pressure following the mixed Chinese data and was last seen trading at its lowest level in five months, slightly above 0.6400.
Australian Dollar moves back and forth amid risk-off mood, stronger US Dollar.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Tuesday that it's important for currencies to move in a stable manner, reflecting fundamentals. Hayashi refrained from commenting on a possible intervention but reiterated that they are prepared to take all measures. USD/JPY gained 0.6% on Monday and reached its highest level in over 30 years before going into a consolidation phase below 154.50.
Japanese Yen bears turn cautious amid intervention fears and geopolitical tensions.
The UK's Office for National Statistic reported early Tuesday that the ILO Unemployment Rate climbed to 4.2% in the three months to February from 4%. Further details of the report showed that the wage inflation, as measured by the change in the Average Earnings Excluding Bonus, edged lower to 6% from 6.1% on a yearly basis. GBP/USD pushed lower toward 1.2400 after the data and touched its weakest level since mid-November.
Gold declined toward $2,320 in the early American session on Monday, pressured by rising US yields and the broad-based USD strength. The risk-averse market atmosphere, however, helped XAU/USD gather bullish momentum later in the day. After rising more than 1.5% on Monday, Gold seems to have stabilized at around $2,380 early Tuesday.
EUR/USD's recovery attempt remained short-lived on Monday and the pair closed the fifth consecutive day in the red. In the European morning on Tuesday, EUR/USD stays on the back foot and trades within a touching distance of 1.0600.
Later in the day, Statistics Canada will publish the Consumer Price Index data for March. USD/CAD stays in positive territory above 1.3800 in the European morning.
US Dollar FAQs
The US Dollar (USD) is the official currency of the United States of America, and the ‘de facto’ currency of a significant number of other countries where it is found in circulation alongside local notes. It is the most heavily traded currency in the world, accounting for over 88% of all global foreign exchange turnover, or an average of $6.6 trillion in transactions per day, according to data from 2022. Following the second world war, the USD took over from the British Pound as the world’s reserve currency. For most of its history, the US Dollar was backed by Gold, until the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1971 when the Gold Standard went away.
The most important single factor impacting on the value of the US Dollar is monetary policy, which is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability (control inflation) and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these two goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, the Fed will raise rates, which helps the USD value. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates, which weighs on the Greenback.
In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve can also print more Dollars and enact quantitative easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used when credit has dried up because banks will not lend to each other (out of the fear of counterparty default). It is a last resort when simply lowering interest rates is unlikely to achieve the necessary result. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice to combat the credit crunch that occurred during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy US government bonds predominantly from financial institutions. QE usually leads to a weaker US Dollar.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing in new purchases. It is usually positive for the US Dollar.
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.
If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.
FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.
The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.
Recommended content
Editors’ Picks
AUD/USD trades modestly flat above 0.6400 after Aussie trade data
AUD/USD reacts little to better-than-expected Australian Goods Trade Balance data and remains in a range above 0.6400 early Thursday. Rising bets for an early RBA rate cut cap the Aussie's upside amid China's economic woes and US-Sino trade war fears. Eyes turn to US data, Fedspeak.
USD/JPY fades the dovish BoJ commentary-led uptick above 150.50
USD/JPY is reversing the bounce to near 150.70 in the Asian session on Thursday. The pair remains weighed down by rising bets for another BoJ rate hike this month, shrugging off the dovish comments from BoJ policymaker Nakamura and a modest recovery in the US Treasury bond yields.
Gold price lacks firm near-term direction and is stuck in a familiar range
Gold price extends its sideways consolidative price move in a familiar range, awaiting a fresh catalyst before the next leg of a directional move. Geopolitical tensions, trade war fears and the overnight decline in the US bond yields offer support to the safe-haven XAU/USD.
Ripple's XRP could see a price rebound despite retail activity decline, RLUSD launch delay
XRP traded near $2.4 on Wednesday as Ripple Labs clarified that its RLUSD stablecoin will not debut on exchanges despite a rumored launch among crypto community members. Amid a sharp decline in XRP's price, on-chain data shows the remittance-based token still has the potential to resume its rally.
Four out of G10
In most cases, the G10 central bank stories for December are starting to converge on a single outcome. Here is the state of play: Fed: My interpretation of Waller’s speech this week is that his prior probability for a December cut was around 75% before the data.
Best Forex Brokers with Low Spreads
VERIFIED Low spreads are crucial for reducing trading costs. Explore top Forex brokers offering competitive spreads and high leverage. Compare options for EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, and Gold.