The Dollar edged higher on Monday as investors prepared for a series of US economic reports after the government shutdown ended, hoping the data would provide insight into the Federal Reserve’s December interest rate decision.
The market response to US President Donald Trump’s reversal on tariffs for over 200 food items was subdued, with some analysts noting the move was expected given the impact of the levies on living costs.
Meanwhile, the Pound remained under pressure following a turbulent session on Friday, amid speculation surrounding the British government’s eagerly awaited budget on 26th November.
The Swiss Franc, traditionally seen as a safe-haven currency, retreated from a one-month peak and was last trading at 0.7954 per Dollar, after having been supported last week by concerns over a sharp selloff in global stock markets.
Attention this week is on a range of US economic data releases for indications of the health of the world’s largest economy, with the closely monitored September nonfarm payrolls report scheduled for Thursday, Reuters reports.
The Dollar recovered in Asian trading on Monday ahead of upcoming economic releases, clawing back some of last week’s losses, while the Euro slipped 0.2% to $1.1597.
The Australian Dollar dropped 0.24% to $0.6521, and the New Zealand Dollar eased 0.18% to $0.5670.
The Dollar index, which tracks the currency against a basket of others, gained 0.14% to 99.46.
Even though recent private-sector data indicate continued weakness in the US economy, investors have scaled back expectations for a Federal Reserve rate cut next month, anticipating that missing economic data could delay or even prevent further easing.
Markets are now assigning slightly more than a 40% probability to a 25-basis-point rate reduction in December, down from over 60% earlier in the month.
However, this has done little to boost the Dollar, which was dragged lower last week amid a widespread selloff in US stocks and bonds.
In addition, the British Pound fell 0.3% to $1.3137 on Monday, after experiencing volatile moves late last week when it emerged that Chancellor Rachel Reeves does not intend to raise income tax rates in the forthcoming budget.
The news unsettled investors, who had expected a tax increase to help cover a projected fiscal gap, triggering a spike in government borrowing costs on Friday.