Forex Today: Dollar rally picks up steam on risk-aversion ahead of PPI data

Here is what you need to know on Thursday, May 12:

The greenback regathered its strength after the US inflation data on Wednesday and continued to outperform its rivals during the Asian trading hours on Thursday. The US Dollar Index is sitting at its highest level since late-2002 above 104.00 ahead of the April Producer Price Index (PPI) data from the US. Meanwhile, major European equity indices remain on track to open deep in negative territory with Euro Stoxx 600 Futures losing nearly 2% on the day. Similarly, US stock index futures are down 0.3%, reflecting the risk-averse market environment.

The data published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed on Wednesday that inflation in the US, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), was 8.3% on a yearly basis in April. Although this print was lower than the March reading of 8.5%, it still surpassed the market expectation of 8.1%. Additionally, the Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, arrived at 6.2% in the same period, compared to analysts' estimate of 6%.

US CPI Quick Analysis: Dark clouds cover peak inflation, King Dollar to dominate.

Earlier in the day, the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanded by 0.8% on a quarterly basis in the first quarter. With this figure falling short of the market expectation of 1%, the British pound came under renewed selling pressure. Other data from the UK revealed that the Manufacturing Production declined by 0.2% in March following February's contraction of 0.6%. GBP/USD was last seen trading at its lowest level in two years near 1.2200.

EUR/USD stays on the back foot early Thursday and tests 1.0500. Hawkish comments from European Central Bank (ECB) officials failed to help the shared currency find demand on Wednesday. ECB President Christine Lagarde acknowledged that it was increasingly unlikely for the disinflationary dynamics of the past decade to return and reiterated that a rate hike could come a few weeks after they conclude the APP early in the third quarter.

NZD/USD is trading at its lowest level in nearly two years at around mid-0.6200s on Thursday. In the Asian session, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) announced that quarterly Inflation Expectations for the second quarter was 3.29%.

Gold managed to snap a two-day losing streak on Wednesday before going into a consolidation phase at around $1,850 early Thursday. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield fell more than 2% on Wednesday and is already down 2.5% on Thursday, helping XAU/USD hold its ground.

USD/JPY closed below 130.00 on Wednesday and continued to push lower during the Asian session with the JPY attracting investors as a safe haven. At the time of press, the pair was down 0.4% on the day at 129.40.

Cryptocurrencies continue to suffer heavy losses and Bitcoin was last seen trading at its weakest level since January 2021 at $26,600, losing more than 8% on a daily basis. Similarly, ETH/USD is down 12% on the day at $1,830.

Bitcoin at 16-month low as UST collapse shows risks of 'Algo' stablecoins.