Dollar firm after Fed comments; yen under close watch
U.S. dollar received a boost against major currency peers on Thursday, as a Federal Reserve official said he wasn't in a hurry to cut rates amid sticky inflation, and as traders braced for key economic data.
Meanwhile, although still not far from the 152 mark, the yen was holding its ground against the greenback after Japan's top monetary officials on Wednesday suggested they were ready to intervene.
Speaking during late U.S. trading hours on Wednesday, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said recent disappointing inflation data affirms the case for the U.S. central bank holding off on cutting its short-term interest rate target.
«There is no rush to cut the policy rate» right now, Waller said in a speech prepared for delivery before an Economic Club of New York gathering.
The dollar index, a measure of the greenback against major peer currencies, ticked up in the wake of Waller's comments and last held mostly unchanged at 104.41. It's gained around 3% so far in 2024.
Market expectations for the first rate cut to occur at the Fed's June meeting have eased somewhat, currently pricing in a 60% chance compared to 67% around this time last week, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
Waller's speech is a «clue that the Fed is more wary of stickier inflation, perhaps even a re-acceleration in price growth, said Kyle Rodda, senior financial market analyst at Capital.com.
While the central bank has signalled willingness to look through some bumps along the way to some extent, Rodda perceives the case for rate
