Dollar Hits 5-Week High Ahead of Jackson Hole on Hawkish Fed

Prior to the Federal Reserve's important Jackson Hole symposium this week, another Federal Reserve official warned of the possibility of prolonged aggressive monetary tightening, sending the U.S. dollar index to a new five-week high.

After Russia announced a three-day suspension to European gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline at the end of this month, the region's energy crisis worsened and the euro fell to a new five-week low.

After the central bank lowered key lending rates, the value of the Chinese yuan fell to its lowest level in over two years, adding to a series of monetary easing measures designed at supporting an economy that was suffering from COVID-19 crackdowns and a real estate crisis.

The U.S. dollar index, which compares the value of the dollar to those of six rival currencies, including the euro, pushed up to 108.26 for the first time since July 15 and was most recently up 0.074% at 108.23.

This comes after a gain of 2.33% last week, its largest weekly increase since April 2020, during which a chorus of Fed policymakers emphasized the need for further action to tame the inflation rate, which is at a decades-high.

Thomas Barkin, president of the Richmond Fed, stated on Friday that there was a "urge" among central bankers to accelerate and front-load rate rises.

In order to jolt the markets ahead of Jackson Hole on August, "Fed speakers have been emphasizing the notion that additional rate hikes are coming given the fight against inflation has not yet been won."

Rodrigo Catril, senior FX strategist at National Australia Bank, stated in a client note that the Fed Chair Jerome Powell is expected to emphasize that tightening is "still a long way from the end" between November 25 and November 27.

Money markets currently predict a 52.5% possibility of a half-point increase on September 21 and 47.5% odds for another supersized 75 basis point rate hike.

With recession chances rising, economists in a Reuters poll tilt toward a 50 basis-point increase.

For the first time since July 21 in Tokyo trading, benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rates increased above 3%.

The dollar increased to 137.40 yen against the particularly yield-sensitive yen of Japan, the highest level since July 27.

For the first time since September 2020, the dollar increased in onshore trade to a high of 6.8308 yuan after the People's Bank of China lowered the prime rates for one- and five-year loans, as many had predicted.

That came after it unexpectedly lowered borrowing costs last week.

The dollar reached 6.8520 against the offshore yuan, which is also its highest level since September 2020.

The euro traded lower by 0.13% at $1.0027, its lowest level since July 15 when it sank as low as $1.0026.

0.23% less than Friday's five-week low of $1.17925, sterling dropped to $1.1805.

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