Dollar rises on reassuring data, euro slips
Updates as of 10:23 a.m. EDT; changes dateline, previous LONDON/SINGAPORE
By Laura Matthews and Alun John
NEW YORK, Aug 15 (Reuters) -The dollar rose against the euro on Thursday, pulling the common currency back from a seven-month peak, after U.S. economic data eased fears of a recession risk and dampened expectations for aggressive interest rate cuts.
U.S. retail sales rose more than expected in July, a sign that demand is not collapsing and could prompt financial markets to dial back expectations for a 50 basis points rate cut next month.
Additionally, fewer Americans than expected filed for unemployment benefits, suggesting an orderly labor market slowdown remained in place, though laid-off workers are finding it a bit difficult to land new jobs.
The European common currency EUR=EBS fell 0.33% versus the dollar at $1.0976. It reached $1.10475, its highest level this year, on Wednesday, as markets digested U.S. inflation numbers.
The dollar index =USD was last at 102.96, rising 0.35% and moving away from the eight-month low of 102.15 it touched last week.
"The retail sales figures are definitely good news, and I'd expect we might see some response in equities as well as USD, which is making a clear move stronger on the heels of today's release," said Helen Given, associate director of trading at Monex USA.
"To me, however, the bigger story for USD might be hidden in the jobless claims, which were for the second week in a row below expectations on both the initial and continuing fronts," she added. "This gives more license to the school of thought that July's exceptionally poor nonfarm payroll data may have been a sort of flash in the pan, and the panic surrounding the Fed last week may have been just that: a panic."
The pound GBP=D3 was up 0.16% at 1.2836, as data showed Britain's economy grew 0.6% in the second quarter of 2024, in line with economists' expectations and building on a rapid 0.7% recovery in the first quarter of the year.
The pound also strengthened on the euro, which dipped 0.49% to 85.42 pence. EURGBP=D3
Today's U.S. releases build on the consumer price index, which rose moderately, in line with expectations, and the annual increase in inflation slowed to below 3% for the first time since early 2021.
The figures add to the mild increase in producer prices in July in suggesting that inflation is on a downward trend, although traders now think the Fed will not be as aggressive on rate cuts as they had hoped.
"(The retail sales) results should provide reassurance on growth and the consumer outlook," said David Doyle, head of economics at Macquarie. He still expects a 25 bps cut in September.
Markets are now pricing in a 72.5% chance of a 25 bps cut next month and a 27.5% chance of a 50 bps reduction, the CME FedWatch tool showed. Traders were evenly split at the start of the week between the two cut options following last week's sell-off.
The yen JPY=EBS was at 148.9 per dollar, inching away from the seven-month high of 141.675 per dollar touched during last week's market mayhem and remaining well beyond the 38-year lows of 161.96 it was rooted to at the start of July.
Bouts of intervention from Tokyo early last month and then a surprise rate hike from the Bank of Japan at the end of July wrong-footed investors who bailed out of popular carry trades, lifting the yen.
World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
Reporting by Laura Matthews in New York and Alun John in London; additional reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Singapore; editing by David Evans and Jonathan Oatis
Mga Kaugnay na Asset
Pinakabagong Balita
Disclaimer: Ang mga kabilang sa XM Group ay nagbibigay lang ng serbisyo sa pagpapatupad at pag-access sa aming Online Trading Facility, kung saan pinapahintulutan nito ang pagtingin at/o paggamit sa nilalaman na makikita sa website o sa pamamagitan nito, at walang layuning palitan o palawigin ito, at hindi din ito papalitan o papalawigin. Ang naturang pag-access at paggamit ay palaging alinsunod sa: (i) Mga Tuntunin at Kundisyon; (ii) Mga Babala sa Risk; at (iii) Kabuuang Disclaimer. Kaya naman ang naturang nilalaman ay ituturing na pangkalahatang impormasyon lamang. Mangyaring isaalang-alang na ang mga nilalaman ng aming Online Trading Facility ay hindi paglikom, o alok, para magsagawa ng anumang transaksyon sa mga pinansyal na market. Ang pag-trade sa alinmang pinansyal na market ay nagtataglay ng mataas na lebel ng risk sa iyong kapital.
Lahat ng materyales na nakalathala sa aming Online Trading Facility ay nakalaan para sa layuning edukasyonal/pang-impormasyon lamang at hindi naglalaman – at hindi dapat ituring bilang naglalaman – ng payo at rekomendasyon na pangpinansyal, tungkol sa buwis sa pag-i-invest, o pang-trade, o tala ng aming presyo sa pag-trade, o alok para sa, o paglikom ng, transaksyon sa alinmang pinansyal na instrument o hindi ginustong pinansyal na promosyon.
Sa anumang nilalaman na galing sa ikatlong partido, pati na ang mga nilalaman na inihanda ng XM, ang mga naturang opinyon, balita, pananaliksik, pag-analisa, presyo, ibang impormasyon o link sa ibang mga site na makikita sa website na ito ay ibibigay tulad ng nandoon, bilang pangkalahatang komentaryo sa market at hindi ito nagtataglay ng payo sa pag-i-invest. Kung ang alinmang nilalaman nito ay itinuring bilang pananaliksik sa pag-i-invest, kailangan mong isaalang-alang at tanggapin na hindi ito inilaan at inihanda alinsunod sa mga legal na pangangailangan na idinisenyo para maisulong ang pagsasarili ng pananaliksik sa pag-i-invest, at dahil dito ituturing ito na komunikasyon sa marketing sa ilalim ng mga kaugnay na batas at regulasyon. Mangyaring siguruhin na nabasa at naintindihan mo ang aming Notipikasyon sa Hindi Independyenteng Pananaliksik sa Pag-i-invest at Babala sa Risk na may kinalaman sa impormasyong nakalagay sa itaas, na maa-access dito.
