Dollar Climbs Higher Over Major Rivals On Rate Hike Bets

RTTNews | 1193 days ago
Dollar Climbs Higher Over Major Rivals On Rate Hike Bets

(RTTNews) - The U.S. dollar firmed against other major counterparts on Monday amid bets on sharper interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve to tame soaring inflation.

Data from Labor Department showed on Friday that the U.S. consumer price index rose to a four-decade high of 8.6% in May, beating economists' expectations of 8.3%.

The data fueled a selloff in stock markets as investors fear that aggressive monetary tightening could cause a recession.

The Federal Reserve, which is slated to release its monetary policy on Wednesday, is widely expected to raise rates by 50 basis points.

The Bank of England and the Swiss National Bank are also expected to raise interest rates at their meetings this week, but little change is expected from the Bank of Japan.

The dollar index rose to a fresh 2-decade high of 105.29, moving past the highs touched in mid May.

Against the Euro, the dollar strengthened to $1.0407 from around $1.0517.

The dollar firmed to $1.2134 against Pound Sterling, rising from $1.2320.

Against the Japanese currency, the dollar was roughly flat at 134.42 yen.

Against the Aussie, the dollar firmed to 0.7924 from 0.8051

The Swiss franc weakened to 0.9773 a dollar from 0.9877, while the Loonie was down at C$1.2898 a dollar, dropping from C$1.2785.

read more
Major European Markets Close Slightly Weak

Major European Markets Close Slightly Weak

The major European markets closed slightly down on Friday as investors assessed recent moves of the central banks and weighed the potential impact of tariffs. A bit of profit taking also contributed to the market's weak close.
RTTNews | 24 minutes ago
TSX Marches On, Hits Fresh Record High; Materials Stocks Rally

TSX Marches On, Hits Fresh Record High; Materials Stocks Rally

The Canadian market is up firmly in positive territory a little past noon on Friday, extending recent gains, thanks largely to strong buying in the materials sector. Energy stocks are struggling for support due to weak oil prices. The mood remains fairly bullish amid expectations the Bank of Canada and the Federal Reserve will announce further easing this year to boost growth.
RTTNews | 1h 29min ago
Bank Of Japan Holds Rate Steady; Plans To Lower ETF Holdings

Bank Of Japan Holds Rate Steady; Plans To Lower ETF Holdings

The Japanese central bank left its key interest rate unchanged on Friday, as expected, but surprised markets with a decision to reduce the holdings of its massive stock of exchange-traded funds, suggesting that the monetary policy normalization is underway. The Bank of Japan policy board, led by Governor Kazuo Ueda, voted 7-2 to hold the uncollateralized overnight call rate at around 0.5 percen
RTTNews | 4h 25min ago
Bay Street Likely To Open On Subdued Note

Bay Street Likely To Open On Subdued Note

Canadian shares may open on a somewhat subdued note on Friday with investors reacting to retail sales data, and looking to take some profits following recent gains.
RTTNews | 5h 9min ago
Pound Slides As UK Bond Yield Soars

Pound Slides As UK Bond Yield Soars

The British pound weakened against other major currencies in the European session on Friday, as long-dated UK bond yields rise sharply in response to increasing public sector borrowings in August.
RTTNews | 6h 54min ago
Sensex, Nifty End Lower On Profit Taking

Sensex, Nifty End Lower On Profit Taking

Indian shares ended lower on Friday, with key benchmark indexes Sensex and Nifty snapping a three-day winning streak that was supported by GST reforms, encouraging progress in India-U.S. trade discussions and the Federal Reserve's first rate cut of the year.
RTTNews | 7h 13min ago