- US Dollar DXY declines towards 104.20 after mixed S&P PMIs
- Fed's steady dovish bets also added to the decline.
- PCE, durable goods orders, Q2 GDP revisions will be the highlights on Thursday and Friday.
On Wednesday, the US Dollar as measured by the DXY index went on a dip towards 104.20, largely influenced by mixed S&P PMI figures and the markets continuing to bet on a dovish Federal Reserve's (Fed) outlook.
With signs of disinflation steadily emerging, market participants are growing confident of a potential rate cut in September, yet the Fed officials continue their cautious approach, remaining dependent on the data. As such, attention is turning to key upcoming data, namely core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE), and Q2 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures on Thursday and Friday.
Daily digest market movers: DXY down as markets digest economic figures from the US
- The US private sector continued healthy expansion, with S&P Global Composite PMI rising to 55 from June's 54.8.
- Counterbalancing this, the S&P Global Manufacturing PMI fell to 49.5 from June's 51.6, while Service PMI rose slightly from 55.3 to 56.
- The CME FedWatch Tool continues to back a likely rate cut in September, although upcoming GDP and PCE data will largely determine the DXY dynamics for the remainder of the week.
Daily digest market movers: DXY flashes bearish signals
The DXY displays a neutral to bearish outlook, with key indicators remaining largely in the negative zone, including the Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD). Meanwhile, bearish signals from a completed cross-over between the 20-day and 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at the 104.80 area remain, and the index has fallen below the 200-day SMA confirming a negative outlook. Support lies at 104.15, and 104.00, with resistances identified at 104.30 and 104.50.
Interest rates FAQs
Interest rates are charged by financial institutions on loans to borrowers and are paid as interest to savers and depositors. They are influenced by base lending rates, which are set by central banks in response to changes in the economy. Central banks normally have a mandate to ensure price stability, which in most cases means targeting a core inflation rate of around 2%. If inflation falls below target the central bank may cut base lending rates, with a view to stimulating lending and boosting the economy. If inflation rises substantially above 2% it normally results in the central bank raising base lending rates in an attempt to lower inflation.
Higher interest rates generally help strengthen a country’s currency as they make it a more attractive place for global investors to park their money.
Higher interest rates overall weigh on the price of Gold because they increase the opportunity cost of holding Gold instead of investing in an interest-bearing asset or placing cash in the bank. If interest rates are high that usually pushes up the price of the US Dollar (USD), and since Gold is priced in Dollars, this has the effect of lowering the price of Gold.
The Fed funds rate is the overnight rate at which US banks lend to each other. It is the oft-quoted headline rate set by the Federal Reserve at its FOMC meetings. It is set as a range, for example 4.75%-5.00%, though the upper limit (in that case 5.00%) is the quoted figure. Market expectations for future Fed funds rate are tracked by the CME FedWatch tool, which shapes how many financial markets behave in anticipation of future Federal Reserve monetary policy decisions.
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