Dollar weakens as markets await US consumer price data
Updates as of 2:56 p.m. EDT
By Laura Matthews
NEW YORK, Aug 13 (Reuters) -The dollar softened against the yen on Tuesday and was weaker against a basket of its peers in calmer trading, as markets await U.S. inflation data that could indicate the outlook for Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts.
Dollar/yen weakened after data showed U.S. producer prices increased less than expected in July as a rise in the cost of goods was tempered by cheaper services, indicating that inflation continued to moderate. Treasuries rallied, pushing yields lower after the PPI report.
The more closely watched consumer price index report on Wednesday will also help guide the Fed's interest-rate policy.
"Today's PPI release has definitely been taken as promising news for markets," said Helen Given, associate director of trading at Monex USA. "Traders are treating this as sort of a prelude to tomorrow's CPI, which markets have been bracing for as a possible volatility event after last month's reading showed prices actually went down."
Currency markets have been rocked by a sharp rally in the yen since July that has prompted - and been driven by - an unwinding of a popular investment strategy called the carry trade and contributed to a slide in stocks.
Yet, with the dollar down 0.35% against the yen JPY=EBS at 146.71, markets on Tuesday appeared to be over the worst of the recent turbulence.
The yen slid to 38-year lows in July as investors piled into the carry trade, in which they borrow yen in Japan where interest rates are low, then sell it for other currencies to buy higher-yielding assets elsewhere.
A number of factors, particularly a surprise rate hike by the Bank of Japan and expectations of U.S. rate cuts due to a slowing labor market, have combined to reverse the carry trade stampede, leaving the yen up around 8% since mid-July.
Government sources told Reuters on Tuesday that Japan's parliament plans to hold a special session on Aug. 23 to discuss the central bank's decision last month to raise rates.
"The market wants to test what the appetite is for it to go higher. The reality is the rate spread between U.S. and Japan is still going to be very wide," said Amo Sahota, director, Klarity FX.
"The market has been oversold very quickly, but now it's trying to get itself back to neutral. I think it's treading very carefully, dipping their toes back into the water again, and seeing what the current is like."
The dollar index =USD fell 0.5% to 102.56, with the euro up EUR=EBS 0.61% at $1.0999.
POUND PERKS UP
Sterling GBP=D3 rose 0.81% to $1.2869, with data earlier in the session showing the UK's jobless rate fell to 4.2% in June from 4.4% in May, defying economists' expectations of a slight rise. Job vacancies declined while wage growth slowed.
Low survey response rates have recently caused investors and economists to put less weight on Britain's labor market data.
"Last weekend's panic spiral around the potential for a hard landing looks at this point like it was quite overblown, and markets look to be moving back toward stability," Given said. "Any downside surprise on CPI, as we got this morning on PPI, is likely to have a greater effect on USD and move the buck into further negative territory."
Volatility in currency markets hits a one-year high https://reut.rs/4cqLedZ
Reporting by Laura Matthews in New York; additional reporting by Harry Robertson in London, Wayne Cole in Singapore; Editing by Sam Holmes, Sharon Singleton, Susan Fenton, Paul Simao and Rod Nickel
Asset collegati
Ultime news
Disclaimer: le entità di XM Group forniscono servizi di sola esecuzione e accesso al nostro servizio di trading online, che permette all'individuo di visualizzare e/o utilizzare i contenuti disponibili sul sito o attraverso di esso; non ha il proposito di modificare o espandere le proprie funzioni, né le modifica o espande. L'accesso e l'utilizzo sono sempre soggetti a: (i) Termini e condizioni; (ii) Avvertenza sui rischi e (iii) Disclaimer completo. Tali contenuti sono perciò forniti a scopo puramente informativo. Nello specifico, ti preghiamo di considerare che i contenuti del nostro servizio di trading online non rappresentano un sollecito né un'offerta ad operare sui mercati finanziari. Il trading su qualsiasi mercato finanziario comporta un notevole livello di rischio per il tuo capitale.
Tutto il materiale pubblicato sul nostro servizio di trading online è unicamente a scopo educativo e informativo, e non contiene (e non dovrebbe essere considerato come contenente) consigli e raccomandazioni di carattere finanziario, di trading o fiscale, né informazioni riguardanti i nostri prezzi di trading, offerte o solleciti riguardanti transazioni che possano coinvolgere strumenti finanziari, oppure promozioni finanziarie da te non richieste.
Tutti i contenuti di terze parti, oltre ai contenuti offerti da XM, siano essi opinioni, news, ricerca, analisi, prezzi, altre informazioni o link a siti di terzi presenti su questo sito, sono forniti "così com'è", e vanno considerati come commenti generali sui mercati; per questo motivo, non possono essere visti come consigli di investimento. Dato che tutti i contenuti sono intesi come ricerche di investimento, devi considerare e accettare che non sono stati preparati né creati seguendo i requisiti normativi pensati per promuovere l'indipendenza delle ricerche di investimento; per questo motivo, questi contenuti devono essere considerati come comunicazioni di marketing in base alle leggi e normative vigenti. Assicurati di avere letto e compreso pienamente la nostra Notifica sulla ricerca di investimento non indipendente e la nostra Informativa sul rischio riguardante le informazioni sopra citate; tali documenti sono consultabili qui.
