Investing.com - The U.S. dollar rallied to more than four year peaks against the other major currencies on Friday after the latest employment report showed that the U.S. economy added more jobs than expected last month, fuelling expectations for an early hike in interest rates.
The US Dollar Index, which tracks the performance of the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, was up 1.23% to 86.79 in late trade, a high last seen in June 2010, capping its twelfth consecutive weekly gain. The twelve-week rally is the longest since the index was created in 1971.
The U.S. economy added 248,000 jobs in September, the Labor Department reported, well ahead of forecasts for jobs growth of 215,000. The unemployment rate ticked down from 6.0% to 5.9%, the lowest level since July 2008.
The upbeat jobs report was tempered by slow growth in wages. Average hourly earnings rose by 2.0% year-over-year, slowing slightly from August.
The robust data added to the view that the strengthening economic recovery may prompt the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates sooner than markets are expecting.
In contrast, the Bank of Japan and the European Central Bank look likely to stick to a loose monetary policy stance amid concerns over faltering economic growth.
USD/JPY was up 1.22% to 109.77 in late trade, not far from Wednesday’s six year highs of 110.07.
The dollar also gained more than 1% against the euro, with EUR/USD dropping 1.22% to 1.2514, the weakest level since August 2012.
The European Central Bank refrained from implementing additional stimulus measures at its meeting on Thursday, despite euro area inflation slowing to a five year low last month, indicating that it will wait to see the effects of recent stimulus measures on the region’s economy.
Data on Friday showed that the bloc’s service sector slowed more sharply than initially estimated in September, fuelling fears that the economy is losing momentum.
The dollar hit a 15-month high against the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF adding 1.39% to settle at 0.9671. The pound slumped to 11-month lows, with GBP/USD down 1.08% to 1.5970.
Sterling came under pressure after Kristin Forbes, an external member of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee, warned in a speech on Friday that the strong pound was acting as a drag on economic growth.
The Canadian dollar fell to six month lows, with USD/CAD up 0.82% to 1.1247 in late trade.
The Canadian dollar weakened after official data on Friday showed that the country unexpectedly posted a trade deficit in August as imports rose by the most in nearly two years, while exports slowed.
Elsewhere, the Russia rouble fell to record lows against the dollar on Friday. USD/RUB advanced 1.47% to 40.15 in late trade.
The rouble has been pressured lower by capital flight from Russia as a result of Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis and by declining oil prices.
In the coming week, investors will be looking ahead to Wednesday’s Federal Reserve meeting minutes for further indications on the future possible direction of U.S. monetary policy.
Monetary policy decisions by the BoJ, Reserve Bank of Australia and the BoE will also be in focus.
Ahead of the coming week, Investing.com has compiled a list of these and other significant events likely to affect the markets.
Monday, October 6
Markets in China are to remain closed for a national holiday.
In the euro zone, Germany is to release data on factory orders.
Later in the day, Canada is to publish its Ivey PMI.
Tuesday, October 7
New Zealand is to release private sector data on business confidence.
Markets in China are to be closed for a national holiday.
The BoJ is to publish its monetary policy statement and hold a press conference to discuss the monetary policy decision.
Separately, the RBA is to announce its benchmark interest rate and publish its rate statement.
The Swiss National Bank is to publish data on its foreign currency reserves. This data is closely scrutinized for indications of the size of the bank’s operations in currency markets.
Switzerland is also to release data on consumer prices and retail sales.
The U.K. is to produce data on industrial and manufacturing production.
Canada is to produce data on building permits.
Wednesday, October 8
Japan is to publish data on the current account.
China is to report on its HSBC services PMI.
Canada is to release data on housing starts.
In the U.S., the Federal Reserve is to publish the minutes of its latest policy setting meeting.
Thursday, October 9
Japan is to release a report on core machinery orders.
Australia is to release data on the change in the number of people unemployed and the unemployment rate.
The BoE is to announce its benchmark interest rate.
Canada is to report on new house price inflation.
The U.S. is to publish its weekly government report on initial jobless claims.
Later Thursday, ECB President Mario Draghi is to speak at an event in Washington; his comments will be closely watched.
Friday, October 10
The BoJ is to publish the minutes of its latest policy meeting, which contain valuable insights into economic conditions from the bank’s perspective. Japan is also to release data on tertiary industry activity.
Australia is to release a report on home loans.
In the euro area, France is to produce data on industrial production.
The U.K. is to release a report on the trade balance.
Canada is to publish a report on the change in the number of people unemployed and the unemployment rate.
The U.S. is to round up the week with data on import prices.