Dollar index set for first weekly fall this year

Feb 23, 202420:10 GMT+5

DXY0EURUSD−0.01%USDJPY−0.03%BTCUSD−0.59%

The U.S. dollar index was on track for its first weekly fall in 2024 on Friday as investors took a breather from buying the currency following an almost two-month rally built on expectations the Federal Reserve will begin cutting rates later than previously expected.

“The dollar’s rally this year has been predicated on the markets converging back to the Fed,” said Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at Bannockburn Global Forex in New York.

Traders may also be pricing for the likelihood that economic data will begin to slow. “I think starting with the February jobs data, which is due March 8, we’re going to begin seeing a series of weaker U.S. economic data,” Chandler said.

The dollar index DXY dipped 0.06% on Friday to 103.86. It has bounced from a five-month low of 100.61 on Dec. 28 and is holding below a three-month high of 104.97 reached on Feb. 14.

Now, however, investors are waiting on further economic indicators for further clues on monetary policy.

BofA expects the euro to strengthen to 1.15 versus the greenback by the end of the year.

"If the U.S. economy remains so strong, we have to change our view, as the Fed might not be able to cut in June or not even this year," he added.

Improved risk appetite that has seen stock markets set records in several countries this week may have also reduced demand for the U.S. currency, which is seen as a haven.

The euro was little changed on the day at USD 1.0823. It has dropped from $1.11395 on Dec. 28 but is up from $1.0695 on Feb. 14.

German business morale improved in February, a survey showed on Friday, though probably not enough to prevent Europe's biggest economy from slipping into another recession.

The yen is the worst-performing G10 currency this year, with the greenback gaining 6.6% against the Japanese currency. The dollar fell 0.11% to 150.34 yen USD on Friday.

In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin BTCUSD fell 1.14% to $51,050.