Dollar cuts losses as Fed minutes show internal division of rate hike plan



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The US dollar regained ground against major rivals on Wednesday after the January Federal Reserve meeting minutes showed there was no consensus on how to proceed with interest rate policy. interest.

The split between central bankers in terms of future interest rate policy has surprised the upside skeptic market, with some expecting more dovish rather than the possibility of further rate hikes in 2019. However, The Fed has agreed on plans to reduce its balance sheet by $ 4 trillion.

Last year's four rate hikes gave the dollar a steady tailwind, while the Fed's recent sleight of hand weighed heavily. According to the minutes, officials also said that suspending the rate increases posed for the moment "little risk at this stage".

ICE US Dollar Index

DXY, + 0.03%

has changed little at 96,510, after a drop of about 0.2% from the beginning of the session.

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On the trade front, President Donald Trump has expressed some flexibility over the March 1 deadline that he had set to secure a trade deal, but the United States is pushing for that one yuan stable Chinese is part of any deal, according to a Bloomberg report.

Do not miss: What American demand for China to stabilize its currency really means

The yuan was stronger against the dollar, reaching its best level in about three weeks, with a dollar buying 6.7207 yuan

USDCNY, + 0.0208%

in Beijing and 6.7156 yuan

USDCNH, + 0.0774%

in the offshore market, down 0.6% and 0.4% respectively.

The pound

GBPUSD, + 0.1302%

went back into the green after starting the weaker session. British Prime Minister Theresa May met Wednesday with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. In a joint statement, they described the meeting as constructive and announced that they would return to the progress made in the coming days.

The British Parliament is expected to vote on the amended May agreement on 27 February. Meanwhile, British political parties are dealing with the resignation of the legislator who chooses to become independent.

Brexit Brief: British Prime Minister May fights fires at home and abroad

The last pound sterling yielded $ 1.3060, little change from Tuesday night.

L & # 39; euro

EURUSD -0.0617%

also sensitive to Brexit risk, resumed its previous gains, as the dollar recovered and had little change at US $ 1.1345.

Elsewhere, the Japanese yen

USDJPY, -0.14%

was slightly lower against the greenback, with a dollar buying ¥ 110.81, down 0.2%.

The governor of the Bank of Japan, Haruhiko Kuroda, said earlier during the Asian market hours that the central bank was not targeting exchange rates, refuting the claim that a stronger yen could force the bank to strengthen its recovery measures.

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