Forex

US Dollar Pulls Back as Traders Monitor Ukraine Crisis

On Wednesday, the US dollar pulled back as markets paused for breath while monitoring the latest developments over the Ukraine crisis.

The USD index, which trails the greenback against its six rival currencies, slashed 0.08% to 95.94.

Accordingly, Russia-Ukraine tensions are still on traders’ radar as the West imposed sanctions on Moscow.

On late Tuesday, US President Joe Biden took measures that targeted Russian elites and the sale of sovereign debt.

This punitive action came after Russian President Vladimir Putin commanded troops in two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.

The American State Department explained that the sanctions are to punish Russia’s economy but not to hit energy markets.

Moreover, the German government halted a significant gas pipeline project from Russia.

Nevertheless, the recent soaring energy prices were partly the result of the situation in Ukraine.

Subsequently, Oil edged up to $96.00 per barrel yesterday, reaching its highest level since 2014.

In line with this, investors anticipated the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates due to higher raw material costs.

They also looked forward to the release of a slew of economic data on Thursday.

Economists expected the fourth-quarter gross domestic product to increase 7.00% from the previous 6.90% result.

Related Post

An upturn from the projected reading could fuel gains for the US dollar.

At the same time, they also anticipated American new home sales to decline to 806,000 from the prior 811,000.

Then, the forecasted initial jobless claims inched down to 235,000 from the last result of 248,000.

Meanwhile, the Australian dollar strengthened 0.57% to 0.73 against the US dollar amid the rising commodity prices.

Similarly, the Canadian dollar rallied 0.49% to 1.13 versus its American counterpart. The sky-high oil prices, one of Canada’s major exports, supported the loonie.

Euro Edges Higher Versus US Dollar

Furthermore, the single currency euro rose 0.12% to 1.13 versus the greenback.

Markets turned their focus to the eurozone’s consumer price index report today. Forecasts for the inflation rate in January posted at 5.10%, slightly higher than the past 5.00% record.

Likewise, the Pound sterling jumped 0.13% to 1.36 as the Swiss franc elevated 0.05% to 1.27.

Conversely, the Japanese yen skidded 0.03% to 115.10 as the Hong Kong dollar shed 0.03% to 7.80.

On the other hand, the kiwi dollar surged 0.94% to 0.68 after the Reserve Bank of New Zealand increased its interest rates.

It announced a 25.00 basis point hike to pick up inflation expectations, marking the third rise in a row.

Recent Posts

AUD/JPY Climbs Back to 102.20, Halting Losses

Key Points: AUD/JPY broke below a rising wedge, signalling possible bearish momentum, with immediate resistance at 103.00 and support at…

4 days ago

EUR/JPY Hit 168.25, Boosted by 0.3% Q1 GDP Growth

Key Points EUR/JPY Rises to 168.25: Strengthened by robust Eurozone economy and steady ECB policy. Eurozone GDP Grew by 0.3%…

4 days ago

Chinese Electric Vehicle Market: Nio Stock Up 20%

Key Points: Nio's shares hit 44.20 HKD, up 20%, with electric vehicle deliveries up 134.6% year-on-year to 15,620. BYD leads…

5 days ago

Ethereum Price Dips Below $3,120 Amid Market Slump

Key Points: Ethereum fell sharply from $3,355 to a low of $2,813, reflecting high volatility and sensitivity to market dynamics.…

5 days ago

Stock Markets: Nikkei Down 0.1%, Hang Seng Up 2.4%

Key Points Nikkei 225 slightly fell by 0.1%, while the Hang Seng index surged by 2.4%. USD/JPY increased slightly, highlighting…

5 days ago

Gold Price Increases to ₹71,278 and $2,328

Key Points: Gold prices rose on MCX India to ₹71,278/10 gm and COMEX US to $2,328/oz. The US Dollar Index…

5 days ago

This website uses cookies.