Here is what you need to know on Wednesday, October 4:
The US Dollar continues to outperform its rivals mid-week as US Treasury bond yields keep on climbing higher. The US Dollar Index holds at multi-month highs above 107.00 and the 10-year US yield closes in on 4.9% in the European morning. ADP private sector employment and ISM Services PMI data for September, alongside August Factory Orders, will be featured in the US economic docket in the second half of the day. Market participants will continue to keep a close eye on comments from central bankers as well.
The data from the US showed on Tuesday that the number of job openings on the last business day of August stood at 9.6 million. This reading came in much higher than the July's reading and the market expectation of 8.8 million, attracting hawkish Federal Reserve (Fed) bets. In turn, US T-bond yields gained traction, Wall Street's main indexes turned south and the USD held its strength in the American trading hours.
US Dollar price this week
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies this week. US Dollar was the strongest against the Australian Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | CAD | AUD | JPY | NZD | CHF | |
| USD | 0.99% | 1.09% | 1.01% | 1.98% | -0.23% | 1.84% | 0.75% | |
| EUR | -1.00% | 0.08% | 0.00% | 1.01% | -1.25% | 0.85% | -0.25% | |
| GBP | -1.10% | -0.07% | -0.08% | 0.93% | -1.34% | 0.77% | -0.33% | |
| CAD | -1.02% | -0.01% | 0.11% | 0.97% | -1.25% | 0.83% | -0.26% | |
| AUD | -2.02% | -1.02% | -0.94% | -1.01% | -2.28% | -0.16% | -1.29% | |
| JPY | 0.20% | 1.23% | 1.31% | 1.25% | 2.19% | 2.06% | 1.00% | |
| NZD | -1.86% | -0.86% | -0.77% | -0.85% | 0.16% | -2.12% | -1.11% | |
| CHF | -0.77% | 0.24% | 0.32% | 0.25% | 1.25% | -1.01% | 1.10% |
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).
Meanwhile, several Republicans in the House of Representatives sided with Democrats and ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy with a 216-to-210 vote. Legislative activity in the House will pause until there is a new House Speaker. Republicans are set to meet on October 10 to discuss McCarthy's replacement. Markets remain risk-averse following this development with another government shutdown deadline coming in on November 17. Reflecting the sour mood, US stock index futures were last seen losing between 0.5% and 0.8%.
During the Asian trading hours on Wednesday, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) announced that if left the policy rate unchanged at 5.5% as expected. “Committee agreed that interest rates may need to remain at a restrictive level for a more sustained period of time," the RBNZ said in its policy statement. NZD/USD came under bearish pressure and dropped below 0.5900.
After rising a few pips above 150.00 in the American session, USD/JPY fell sharply and lost more than 200 pips in a matter of minutes. This price action revived market chatter about a Bank of Japan intervention in the foreign exchange market. Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, however, said that he doesn’t want to “comment on whether Japan intervened in the FX market.” USD/JPY climbed back above 149.00 and stabilized there on Wednesday.
EUR/USD registered small losses on Tuesday but failed to stage a correction on Wednesday. At the time of press, the pair was trading within a touching distance of 1.0450. European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde will speak at the 2023 ECB Conference on Monetary Policy later in the day. Additionally, Eurostat will release August Retail Sales data.
GBP/USD rose a few pips above 1.2100 during the European session on Tuesday but lost its traction in the second half of the day. Early Wednesday, the pair trades modestly lower while holding slightly above 1.2050.
Pressured by surging US yields, Gold price closed the seventh consecutive day in negative territory on Tuesday. In the European morning, XAU/USD stays on the back foot below $1,820.
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
EUR/USD stays in positive territory above 1.0850 after US data
EUR/USD clings to modest daily gains above 1.0850 in the second half of the day on Friday. The improving risk mood makes it difficult for the US Dollar to hold its ground after PCE inflation data, helping the pair edge higher ahead of the weekend.
GBP/USD stabilizes above 1.2850 as risk mood improves
GBP/USD maintains recovery momentum and fluctuates above 1.2850 in the American session on Friday. The positive shift seen in risk mood doesn't allow the US Dollar to preserve its strength and supports the pair.
Gold rebounds above $2,380 as US yields stretch lower
Following a quiet European session, Gold gathers bullish momentum and trades decisively higher on the day above $2,380. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield loses more than 1% on the day after US PCE inflation data, fuelling XAU/USD's upside.
Avalanche price sets for a rally following retest of key support level
Avalanche (AVAX) price bounced off the $26.34 support level to trade at $27.95 as of Friday. Growing on-chain development activity indicates a potential bullish move in the coming days.
The election, Trump's Dollar policy, and the future of the Yen
After an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and drop out of President Biden, Kamala Harris has been endorsed as the Democratic candidate to compete against Trump in the upcoming November US presidential election.