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Forex - Dollar comes off 14-year highs as Fed minutes, jobs report eyed

Published 01/04/2017, 08:35 AM
Updated 01/04/2017, 08:35 AM
© Reuters.  Dollar slips lower as Fed minutes, U.S. jobs report eyed

© Reuters. Dollar slips lower as Fed minutes, U.S. jobs report eyed

Investing.com - The dollar pulled back from 14-year highs against a currency basket on Wednesday with investors wary of pushing the dollar any higher before getting fresh signals on the strength of the U.S. economy and the expected pace of rate hikes in 2017.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was down 0.4% to 102.83.

The index hit highs of 103.81 on Tuesday, the most since December 2002, after the Institute for Supply Management said its index of manufacturing activity rose to a two-year high in December.

The upbeat data fed into expectations for a faster rate of policy tightening from the Fed this year, after it hiked interest rates for the first time in a year last month.

The U.S. central bank is to publish the minutes of its December meeting at 14.00 ET and analysts will be examining them for any indications that officials are more upbeat on growth than the quarterly economic projections released following the meeting showed.

Analysts will also be looking for what Fed officials said about potential fiscal policy changes under the incoming Trump administration and how they may react to measures that could spur growth and inflation.

Traders were also looking ahead to Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report for December for indications on solid growth in the labor market which could enable the Fed to keep pushing up interest rates.

Higher rates typically boost the dollar by making dollar assets more attractive to yield-seeking investors.

The dollar was lower against the yen, with USD/JPY down 0.17% to 117.54, off Tuesday’s three-week highs of 118.6.

Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday that Tokyo should closely monitor the market to spot any speculative or one-sided moves in the yen, but did not comment on the currency’s current levels.

The euro pushed higher, with EUR/USD climbing 0.29% to 1.0435, supported by reports showing that business activity in the euro area rose at the fastest pace in more than five years and inflation in the bloc climbed to the highest in over three years.

The single currency touched lows of 1.0341 on Tuesday, the weakest level since December 2002.

Sterling also moved higher, with GBP/USD rising 0.37% to 1.2283, recovering from a two-month low of 1.2197 struck overnight.

The pound was buoyed by data showing the U.K. construction sector enjoyed solid growth in December and another report showing that consumer credit notched up its fastest monthly increase since March 2005 in November.

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