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USD

Dollar weakens as markets brace for credit contraction

The dollar is weaker against all of its major counterparts – except the yen – this morning as investors await data that should confirm a sharp contraction in US credit growth after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank in early March. Two- and ten-year yields are holding steady, futures are pointing to a mixed open for North American equities, and commodity prices are creeping higher. The yen reversed a brief post-Golden Week rally in the overnight session after a record of the Bank of Japan’s latest meeting showed officials remaining committed to “large-scale easing”, with supply chain constraints easing, commodity prices coming...

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Risk sentiment recovers

• Improved sentiment. US regional bank share prices bounce back. Data also shows that the US labour market remains tight.• Fed rate expectations. Markets continue to forecast rate cuts by the US Fed from Q3 2023. We think this is misplaced. US CPI released this week.• AUD recovery. Positive risk appetite has supported the AUD. Consumer and business confidence, and the Federal Budget are the local focal points. After some tremors earlier in the week, risk sentiment improved on Friday. Following the sharp falls over previous sessions, US regional banking stocks rebounded strongly, with the banks in focus (PacWest Bancorp...

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US banking issues & another ECB hike

• US banks. Regional bank issues remain in focus. This has dampened risk sentiment, and is supporting expectations the Fed tightening cycle is over.• ECB hike. ECB raised rates by another 25bps. Tweaks to its guidance were viewed ‘dovish’, but we think this is a misread. President Lagarde was quite ‘hawkish’ with more rate rises expected.• AUD holding. AUD ticked up, with a bounce in AUD/EUR supportive. US non-farm payrolls released tonight. Strong data could question the markets rate cut bets. The re-emerging US regional banking sector concerns remain in focus. The issues continue to dampen risk sentiment, though FX...

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Dollar weakens after Fed and ECB decisions match market expectations

The dollar is retreating for a third session, with all of its major counterparts recording gains on a Federal Reserve-driven drop in Treasury yields.  Oil prices are recovering after experiencing something resembling a flash crash around the Asia open last night, with prices plunging more than 7 percent. The move, which seemed to lack a fundamental trigger, saw closely-correlated currencies like the Canadian dollar and Norwegian krone remain relatively unmoved, but left the West Texas and Brent benchmarks down roughly 15 percent year to date. The market has been hammered by a weakening demand outlook even as the OPEC+ group of...

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Conditional US Fed pause doesn’t mean pivot

• Fed in focus. US Fed hikes again, but adjusts guidance. Fed is now data dependent. That doesn’t mean hikes have ended or cuts are coming soon.• Negative risk sentiment. Pushing back of rate cut hopes saw risk sentiment turn negative. US yields lower. USD lost ground against the EUR and JPY.• AUD softer. AUD eased back, with AUD/EUR below pre RBA rate hike levels. ECB expected to hike again tonight. Pressure on AUD/EUR to continue. The US FOMC decision was in focus earlier this morning. As widely expected, the FOMC raised rates another 25bps, taking the target range to...

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