|

Dollar index hits fresh 3-year low below 89.00

  • USD sell-off continues on Mnuchin's comments.
  • Fears of trade war also hurt US dollar.

The dollar index (DXY), which tracks the value of the greenback vs. the basket of currencies, fell to a fresh 3-year low of 88.95 in Asia as Trump team at Davos backed a weaker US dollar.

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin went on the offensive yesterday, declaring a weaker dollar is good for American trade. The FT report quotes Brown Brothers Harriman's Marc Chandler as saying that Mnuchin's comments indicate a deviation from the strong dollar mantra followed by Treasury Secretaries since Robert Rubin.

Clearly, Trump administration favors further depreciation. Hence, the greenback is being dumped across the board.

Also, hurting the USD are fears of a full-blown trade war between the US and China. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said yesterday the US would fight harder to protect its exporters. It remains to be seen how China and other major nations respond to the US.

For the time being, USD bears are ruling the roost and could push the greenback to fresh multi-year lows if ECB's Draghi sounds less dovish than expected.

Dollar Index Technical Levels

A convincing break below 89.00 could yield a drop to 88.45 (Jun. 2010 high), under which a major support is seen at 88.00 (Jan. 2006 low). On the other hand, a move above 89.17 (March 2009 high) may open doors for a corrective rally to 90.11 (previous day's high) and 90.59 (Jan. 23 high).

 TREND INDEXOB/OS INDEXVOLATILY INDEX
15MStrongly BearishOversold High
1HBullishOversold Shrinking
4HBearishOversold High
1DBearishOversold High
1WBullishOversold Expanding

Author

Omkar Godbole

Omkar Godbole

FXStreet Contributor

Omkar Godbole, editor and analyst, joined FXStreet after four years as a research analyst at several Indian brokerage companies.

More from Omkar Godbole
Share:

Editor's Picks

AUD/USD bulls regain control above 0.6950 amid USD retreat

AUD/USD regains traction and extends the previous day's bounce from the weekly low, aiming for 0.7000 in Asia on Friday. The overnight pullback in US bond yields keeps the US Dollar below an 18-month high, which in turn offers some support to the pair. Meanwhile, hawkish RBA expectations also keep the major underpinned.

USD/JPY holds gains near 158.00 after Japan's weak Household Spending data

USD/JPY clings to gains around 158.00 after data showed on Friday that Japan's Household Spending fell for the ninth straight month, undermining the Japanese Yen. Meanwhile, the US Dollar remains depressed as the overnight fall in US bond yields counters a hawkish Fed and geopolitical uncertainties, could cap any downside in the pair.

Gold remains range-bound below $4,200

Gold has given up some ground after an initial bullish attempt to reach weekly highs, returning to below the $4,200 mark per troy ounce on Friday. The US Dollar’s strong upside momentum, combined with rising US Treasury yields across the curve, seems to keep further gains in the yellow metal under scrutiny.

Has Bitcoin really escaped the macro forces it was built to fight?
Over 17 years ago, Satoshi Nakamoto designed Bitcoin (BTC) on the back of a global financial crisis as an alternative to the global monetary system outside the control of central banks, governments and traditional intermediaries. This raises a key question: has Bitcoin really become independent of the macroeconomic forces it was built to challenge?
The Euro is not the sick man of Europe. France's bond market is
EUR/USD remains under pressure, near the 17-month low of 1.1161 reached on Monday. The pair has lost more than 7% since its yearly peak, as concerns over France's public finances increasingly weigh on the single currency. But behind the weakness of the Euro (EUR), the problem does not necessarily lie with the European economy as a whole.
Has Bitcoin really escaped the macro forces it was built to fight?
Over 17 years ago, Satoshi Nakamoto designed Bitcoin (BTC) on the back of a global financial crisis as an alternative to the global monetary system outside the control of central banks, governments and traditional intermediaries. This raises a key question: has Bitcoin really become independent of the macroeconomic forces it was built to challenge?