The dollar continues to move higher against most major currencies on Tuesday, with the dollar index (USDX) up by another 0.42% hitting levels last seen in May and trading right above the 105.0 mark. The election outcome and expectations for less rate cuts from the Fed going forward continue to support the US currency with Morgan Stanley forecasting continued strengthening as the incoming Trump administration implements its proposed agenda.
The CME FedWatch tool suggests that market participants are anticipating a more aggressive rate cut of 25 basis points in December, with a 62.1% probability, while odds for rates to remain unchanged are at 37.9%.
Asian markets declined on Wednesday, with the Japan 225 down by around 1.8% and the Hong Kong 50 down by more than 2.8% as at 07:23 AM GMT. Investors appear concerned about the potential impact of a Trump presidency on Sino-U.S. relations and global trade. Markets now anticipate further fiscal stimulus which could possibly boost consumer spending and the property market. Bloomberg reported that Japan was considering cutting homebuying taxes to support the property sector.
Sentiment in Wall Street remains cautious ahead of crucial U.S. consumer inflation data and a series of speeches by Federal Reserve officials with all primary indexes closing moderately lower on Tuesday. Additional pressure came from a surge in US 10-year bond yields to their highest since late July.
In the cryptos front, Bitcoin pulled back from its all-time high of $90K and is currently hovering around the $86K to $88K mark with investors. Dogecoin, a popular meme coin, pulled back on Wednesday after a recent surge to a three-year high. Traders took profits following Trump's announcement that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the Department of Government Efficiency. The overall crypto market capitalization rose to record highs of over three trillion dollars.
The focus for Wednesday lies on the core CPI data report while some price action could also be seen upon testimonies from several key FOMC members. Some price action could be seen later this week upon the release of U.S. Producer Price Index data on Thursday and retail sales on Friday.