|

Forex Today: US Dollar strength continues amid resilient American economy

What you need to take care of on Thursday, February 16:

The US Dollar remained strong on Wednesday, with demand for the Greenback easing ahead of Wall Street's close as stocks bounced from their intraday lows.

The Greenback benefited from renewed concerns about the continued US Federal Reserve's monetary tightening spurring risk aversion. As American inflation eased just modestly in January, hopes for a Fed's pivot faded. The United States published Retail Sales on Wednesday, which surged by 3% MoM in January, much better than anticipated. The figure provided fresh impetus to the USD and kept stock markets on the back foot.

Earlier in the day, the UK reported that the annual CPI rose by 10.1% in January, easing from 10.5% in December, while core CPI was up 5.8% on a yearly basis from 6.3% previously. Easing inflation supports the case of an easIER path of tightening in the kingdom. GBP/USD is down to 1.2020.

European data missed expectations adding pressure on the Euro. Industrial Production contracted 1.7% YoY in December, while the Trade Balance in the same month posted a deficit of €18.1 billion. EUR/USD bottomed at 1.0660, now trading in the 1.0680 region

The AUD/USD pair fell to 0.6864 but recovered the 0.6900 threshold ahead of the close amid the stocks' bounce. Australian employment figures and inflation expectations coming up early Thursday.

USD/CAD trades at 1.3390, with the Canadian dollar benefiting from a crude oil prices comeback. WTI trades at $78.60 a barrel after falling to $77.25. The EIA reported a large build in US stocks, up to 16.283 million barrels in the week ended February 10.

USD/JPY trades at 134.15, sharply up in the day. Higher US government bond yields provided support alongside comments from Japan's Prime Minister Kishida earlier in the day. Kishida said that he expects the new Bank of Japan (BoJ) governor to keep the appropriate monetary policy, taking into account of economy, inflation and market situations.

 Gold extended its February slide to $1,830.53 a troy ounce, now hovering around $1,836.

FTX bankruptcy judge rejects independent examiner appointment motion fearing $100 million loss


Like this article? Help us with some feedback by answering this survey:

Author

Valeria Bednarik

Valeria Bednarik was born and lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her passion for math and numbers pushed her into studying economics in her younger years.

More from Valeria Bednarik
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD climbs to multi-week tops near 1.1700

EUR/USD rapidly leaves behind four consecutive daily pullbacks, challenging the 1.1700 hurdle in response to the severe sell-off in the Greenback as investors continued to evaluate the Fed’s rate cut and the neutral message from Chief Powell. Next on tap on the docket will be the weekly US labour market report on Thursday.

GBP/USD pressures intraday highs as USD gains downward traction

GBP/USD gains upward traction as the USD eased following the Federal Reserve decision to trim the benchmark interest rate by 25 bps. FOMC divided, Summary of Economic Projections shows no relevant changes.

Gold extends gains beyond $4,230 in the Fed’s aftermath

Gold prices are up after the US central bank's monetary policy announcement, trading around $4,230 as Asian traders reach their desks. A better market mood limits demand for the safe-haven metal, but broad US Dollar weakness skews the risk to the upside. 

Bitcoin treasuries return to action as American Bitcoin, Strive and Strategy deliver buying update

Bitcoin digital asset treasuries are returning to action following a slight recovery in the top crypto. American Bitcoin, co-founded by the Trump brothers, acquired 416 BTC, worth about $38.5 million, since its last update on December 2. The purchase has pushed the company's total holdings to 4,783 BTC as of December 8, making it the 22nd-largest BTC treasury, behind ProCap Financial, according to Bitcoin Treasuries data.

Fed projects only 50 bps of additional rate cuts between 2026 and 2027; lifts GDP forecasts

The Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) latest dot plot, released on Wednesday, indicates that interest rates will average 3.4% by the end of 2026, in line with the September projection.

Hyperliquid eyes $30 breakout despite declining staking balance

Hyperliquid is trading above $28.00 at the time of writing on Wednesday, after rebounding from support at $27.50. The broader cryptocurrency market is characterised by widespread intraday losses ahead of the Fed monetary policy decision.