Dollar Set for Second Weekly Gain
The dollar index held above 101 on Friday after rising for four straight sessions, trading at its strongest levels in nearly two months and on track to advance for the second consecutive week. The greenback strengthened as elevated oil prices and robust US economic data stoked inflation concerns, reinforcing expectations that the Fed may tighten policy further. Markets are currently pricing in roughly a 67% probability of a Fed rate hike in October, following last week's increase. New York Fed's John Williams said the central bank still has a lot of work to do to bring inflation under control, while Philadelphia Fed's Anna Paulson said some modest additional policy tightening could be warranted. On the data front, US weekly initial jobless claims unexpectedly fell by 1,000 to a two-month low of 197,000, pointing to continued labor-market resilience. Investors now await consumer sentiment and durable goods data on Friday for further clues about the economy.
The dollar index held above 101 on Friday after rising for four straight sessions, trading at its strongest levels in nearly two months and on track to advance for the second consecutive week. The greenback strengthened as elevated oil prices and robust US economic data stoked inflation concerns, reinforcing expectations that the Fed may tighten policy further. Markets are currently pricing in roughly a 67% probability of a Fed rate hike in October, following last week's increase.
New York Fed's John Williams said the central bank still has a lot of work to do to bring inflation under control, while Philadelphia Fed's Anna Paulson said some modest additional policy tightening could be warranted. On the data front, US weekly initial jobless claims unexpectedly fell by 1,000 to a two-month low of 197,000, pointing to continued labor-market resilience. Investors now await consumer sentiment and durable goods data on Friday for further clues about the economy.