Dollar ticks up as oil prices climb, Fed rate hike chances firm
Markets now see a Fed hike on Wednesday as a near certainty
As oil prices surged to a four-month high of over US$105 a barrel, the US dollar gained strength on Tuesday (Sep 15), according to markets. This rise in oil prices pushed up Treasury yields, leading to a near certainty that the US Federal Reserve would hike interest rates this week. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield reached its highest level since 2007, climbing 4.1 basis points to 5.004 percent.
With CME’s FedWatch tool indicating a more than 92 percent chance of a rate increase, it seems highly probable that the Fed will raise interest rates on Wednesday.
The euro and British pound both weakened against the US dollar, with the euro reaching a one-month low and the pound dipping slightly ahead of their respective central banks' interest rate decisions. Sterling weakened 0.1 percent to US$1.348, while the euro fell 0.1 percent to US$1.154. Japan's yen also lost ground, briefly weakening past 155 for the first time in a week, before ending the day at 154.8, as markets anticipated a Bank of Japan rate hike on Friday.
The US dollar’s six-currency index rose 0.1 percent to 99.58, nearing its highest level in about two weeks. This upward trend was supported by weakened risk appetite and falling stock markets. The renewed pressure on energy prices due to inflation concerns and strong US job data added to the Fed's likelihood of raising rates. Economists surveyed by Reuters also expect further hikes by the end of March, reversing the previous consensus of a no-change in policy.
Written by urgent.news from The Business Times - Companies & Markets's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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