|

Fed’s Kashkari: Crypto is 'utterly useless'

Neel Kashkari, Federal Reserve (Fed) President of the Bank of Minneapolis, said that the labor market has remained pretty resilient and that he believes AI could boost productivity in the next five to ten years, according to Reuters on Thursday.

Key takeaways

The labor market has remained pretty resilient, it is softer but still "decent to pretty good".

Reports from businesses about staffing warrant some caution about the strength of the labor market.

Kevin Hassett's comments about Fed staff research were "just another step" to try to compromise the Fed's independence.

The Fed is committed to making the best decisions based on data and analysis, aiming to avoid other "distractions".

Optimistic about AI, almost all businesses are finding benefits from using it.

Crypto is "utterly useless".

AI could be a boost to productivity in the next five to ten years.

The Fed is cautious about using AI internally, with strong guardrails against giving access to confidential data.

Not clear what a stablecoin can do beyond what Venmo and similar services already offer.

US Dollar Price Today

The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the strongest against the British Pound.

USDEURGBPJPYCADAUDNZDCHF
USD0.12%0.27%0.20%-0.04%-0.13%0.00%0.20%
EUR-0.12%0.16%0.04%-0.18%-0.23%-0.12%0.08%
GBP-0.27%-0.16%-0.08%-0.32%-0.39%-0.27%-0.07%
JPY-0.20%-0.04%0.08%-0.26%-0.33%-0.24%-0.02%
CAD0.04%0.18%0.32%0.26%-0.07%0.04%0.24%
AUD0.13%0.23%0.39%0.33%0.07%0.12%0.33%
NZD-0.00%0.12%0.27%0.24%-0.04%-0.12%0.20%
CHF-0.20%-0.08%0.07%0.02%-0.24%-0.33%-0.20%

The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).

Author

Agustin Wazne

Agustin Wazne joined FXStreet as a Junior News Editor, focusing on Commodities and covering Majors.

More from Agustin Wazne
Share:

Editor's Picks

GBP/USD remains slightly bid near 1.3300

GBP/USD now advances marginally and manages to dispute the 1.3300 region on Tuesday. Indeed, Cable regains some balance on the back of the lacklustre performance of the Greenback, all preceding the Fed’s meeting on Wednesday and the BoE’s gathering on Thursday.

EUR/USD recedes from tops, back below 1.1400

EUR/USD manages to set aside part of the recent weakness and clinches decent gains on Tuesday. Indeed, spot keeps the trade below the 1.1400 mark amid acceptable losses in the US Dollar, all following rising optimism of a US-Iran deal and steady caution prior to the FOMC gathering on Wednesday.

Gold looks to the Fed for the next big move

Gold is attempting a tepid bounce from six-day lows near $4,000 in Wednesday’s Asian trades, awaiting the US Federal Reserve monetary policy outcome to determine the next major move.

Bitcoin slips below support, Ethereum and XRP flash bearish signals

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple remain under pressure on Wednesday after a mild correction earlier this week. BTC slips below a key support zone, and ETH is testing a key resistance zone. Meanwhile, XRP is drifting toward the psychologically important $1.00 support level.

WTI rebounds from two-week low, well bid around mid-$81.00s amid Iran risks

West Texas Intermediate – the benchmark US Crude Oil price – gains strong positive traction during the Asian session on Wednesday, snapping a three-day losing streak to an over two-week low touched the previous day. The commodity currently trades around mid-$81.00s, up nearly 4% for the day, amid the risk of resumption of US-Iran hostilities.

US Dollar mid-year outlook: Exceptional currency, exceptional risks?
The US Dollar enters the second half of 2026 in a markedly different position from a year ago. The King currency has recovered, reflecting persistent US inflation, changing expectations for Fed policy, geopolitical tensions and renewed demand for defensive assets.