Investing.com-- Most Asian currencies weakened sharply on Thursday, as did the dollar, after U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping trade tariffs battered risk sentiment and pushed up fears of a potential recession.
The Japanese yen was an outlier, firming sharply on increased safe haven demand, as traders fretted over the implications of Trump’s tariffs. The USDJPY pair fell 1.2% to a three-week low.
The Chinese yuan was among the worst performers in Asia, given that the country was by far the worst hit by Trump’s new tariffs.
The dollar also weakened amid increased fears of a U.S. recession. While Trump’s protectionist policies stand to eventually benefit the greenback, a recession, along with potential monetary easing to support the economy, could undermine the dollar.
Chinese yuan slides in face of 54% US tariffs
The Chinese yuan weakened sharply, with the USD/CNY pair rising 0.4% and briefly crossing 7.3 yuan.
Trump’s latest round of tariffs bring total U.S. duties on Chinese imports to 54%- close to his 60% tariff pledge against China, which was widely regarded as a worst-case scenario.
The increased U.S. tariffs spell even more economic headwinds for China, where growth was just seen picking up after a three-year lull.
Beijing is expected to outline more retaliation against the U.S. measures, which is likely to be harsher than initially feared.
But analysts also expect the Chinese government to dole out even more stimulus measures to offset the impact of Trump’s tariffs. Caixin purchasing managers index data released earlier in the day showed bigger-than-expected growth in China’s services sector, amid sustained stimulus support.
Dollar slides as tariffs brew recession, rate cut speculation
The dollar index and dollar index futures fell 0.6% and 0.7%, respectively, in Asian trade, extending steep overnight declines.
While protectionist policies tend to usually support the dollar, the greenback was dented by heightened fears of a U.S. recession, especially if Trump’s tariffs are imposed to their full extent.
Wells Fargo analysts said they expected “considerably more” monetary easing by the Federal Reserve through mid-2025 to mid-2026, although interest rates are likely to fall later rather than sooner.
Wells Fargo and several other analysts also noted that Trump’s tariffs were worse than anticipated.
Most Asian currencies sank on this notion, with the South Korean won’s USD/KRW pair up 0.3%, while the Indian rupee’s USD/INR pair rose 0.1%.
The Australian dollar’s AUD/USD pair fell 0.4%, although deeper losses in the Aussie were limited by Trump only imposing 10% tariffs against Australia.
Data showed Australia’s trade balance slumped to a near five-year low in February, as Trump’s tariffs disrupted global trade.
The Singapore dollar benefited from safe haven demand, with the USD/SGD pair down 0.3%.