US Dollar rallies after US-China trade talks, Fed speakers
- US Dollar Index posts over 1% gain after China and US announce a 90-day tariff truce.
- Fed’s Kugler says assessing economy remains difficult amid trade shifts and household stockpiling.
- US 10-year Treasury yield spikes to 4.45%, supporting USD through widening rate differentials.
- Markets price out 2025 Fed rate cuts as risk appetite surges globally.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the value of the US Dollar against a basket of currencies, skyrocketed to a one-month high on Monday after China and the United States announced a 90-day pause in their trade war. Both countries agreed to temporarily slash tariffs with the US lowering duties on Chinese goods to 30% from 145% and China reducing tariffs on US goods to 10% from 125%.
This boost to risk appetite sent the Greenback sharply higher, especially against traditional safe havens like the Japanese Yen and Swiss Franc as investors bet on a potential long-term trade agreement.
Daily digest market movers: Next focus on Ukraine
- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the 90-day tariff reduction agreement with China, easing immediate trade war fears.
- President Trump hinted at further talks with China’s President Xi Jinping later this week, keeping optimism alive.
- The Federal Reserve’s Adriana Kugler warned that sustained tariffs would shift global supply chains and complicate economic forecasting.
- The benchmark US 10-year Treasury yield soared to 4.45%, widening the rate differential and supporting the USD.
- Rate markets have fully priced out Federal Reserve rate cuts for 2025, strengthening the Greenback further.
- The EUR and GBP fell sharply against the USD, dropping 1.5% and 1%, respectively, amid rising US yields.
- Safe haven currencies JPY and CHF underperformed, both losing nearly 2% against the USD on strong risk sentiment.
- Fed policymakers expect rates to stay unchanged at 4.25%-4.50% through June and July, delaying rate cuts until September.
- The market sees a 51.2% probability of the first Fed cut in September, with rates expected at 3.75%-4.00% by year-end 2025.
- Gold prices plunged over $100 per ounce, testing the May lows near $3,200 as safe haven demand weakens.
- WTI crude oil extended its recovery toward $75.00 per barrel, supported by improved global growth prospects.
- Copper remains flat, trading near the midpoint of its recent range despite improved risk sentiment.
- The US economic calendar is light with focus shifting to Tuesday’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Thursday’s Retail Sales.
- Fed Chair Jerome Powell is set to speak on Thursday, potentially providing further clues on the central bank’s policy path.
- Market participants now turn their attention to geopolitical developments in Ukraine and the Middle East.
US Dollar Index technical analysis: Chart flashes bullish signals for DXY
The US Dollar Index (DXY) is flashing a bullish signal, trading around 102.00 with daily gains of approximately 1.00%. The index currently sits mid-range between strong support at 100.50 and key resistance near 102.00.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) hovers in the 50s, signaling neutral conditions, while the Moving Avearge Convergence Divergence (MACD) flashes a buy signal, indicating positive momentum. The Bull Bear Power near 2.00 and the Stochastic %K in the 80s confirm neutral-to-bullish sentiment, alongside a Commodity Channel Index reading of 270.
Short-term moving averages favor buyers with the 20-daySimple Moving Average ( SMA) and both the 10-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) and SMA clustered around the 100.00 level. However, the longer-term 100-day and 200-day SMAs continue to suggest caution. Immediate support lies at 100.91, 100.88 and 100.73, while resistance is seen at 101.96, 102.08, and 103.43.
US-China Trade War FAQs
Generally speaking, a trade war is an economic conflict between two or more countries due to extreme protectionism on one end. It implies the creation of trade barriers, such as tariffs, which result in counter-barriers, escalating import costs, and hence the cost of living.
An economic conflict between the United States (US) and China began early in 2018, when President Donald Trump set trade barriers on China, claiming unfair commercial practices and intellectual property theft from the Asian giant. China took retaliatory action, imposing tariffs on multiple US goods, such as automobiles and soybeans. Tensions escalated until the two countries signed the US-China Phase One trade deal in January 2020. The agreement required structural reforms and other changes to China’s economic and trade regime and pretended to restore stability and trust between the two nations. However, the Coronavirus pandemic took the focus out of the conflict. Yet, it is worth mentioning that President Joe Biden, who took office after Trump, kept tariffs in place and even added some additional levies.
The return of Donald Trump to the White House as the 47th US President has sparked a fresh wave of tensions between the two countries. During the 2024 election campaign, Trump pledged to impose 60% tariffs on China once he returned to office, which he did on January 20, 2025. With Trump back, the US-China trade war is meant to resume where it was left, with tit-for-tat policies affecting the global economic landscape amid disruptions in global supply chains, resulting in a reduction in spending, particularly investment, and directly feeding into the Consumer Price Index inflation.
Author
Patricio Martín
FXStreet
Patricio is an economist from Argentina passionate about global finance and understanding the daily movements of the markets.
