Dollar steadies, yen slips as traders grapple with Fed rate-cut outlook
Updates at 0500 GMT
By Rae Wee
SINGAPORE, Sept 9 (Reuters) -The dollar recovered some lost ground on Monday while the yen pared its safe-haven gains, as investors who were undecided on the scale of a Federal Reserve rate cut expected later this month looked to this week's U.S. inflation data for more clues.
In China, data showed consumer prices accelerated in August to the fastest pace in half a year but producer price deflation worsened, reigniting calls for further stimulus measures to prop up a still-struggling economy.
The onshore yuan CNY=CFXS was last 0.3% weaker at 7.1117 per dollar, while its offshore counterpart CNH=D3 eased 0.27% to 7.1142.
"The report could continue to perpetuate deflation fears," said Saktiandi Supaat, regional head of FX research and strategy at Maybank.
"There have been talks of (reserve requirement ratio) cuts, but given how the earlier easing... has had little effect, I think further easing via RRR cuts or interest rate cuts may actually simply result in a weaker yuan."
Currencies elsewhere struggled for direction after Friday's highly anticipated U.S. jobs data failed to offer clarity to traders on the question of whether the Fed would deliver a regular 25-basis-point rate cut or an outsized 50 bp one at its policy meeting next week.
While employment increased less than expected in August, the jobless rate ticked lower and wage growth remained solid, indicating that the U.S. labour market was cooling, but not at a pace that warranted panic over the economy's growth outlook.
The yen surrendered some of its gains after having risen 2.73% last week as risk aversion gripped markets and in the wake of some volatility following the nonfarm payrolls report.
It was last 0.44% lower at 142.92 per dollar. The market brushed off data from earlier in the session which showed Japan's economy expanded in April-June at a slightly slower pace than initially reported, largely due to downward revisions in corporate and personal spending.
The euro EUR=EBS slipped 0.1% to $1.1075, while sterling GBP=D3 fell 0.08% to $1.3119.
Against a basket of currencies, the dollar =USD edged up 0.13% to 101.33.
"The Fed finds itself at a crossroads," said Boris Kovacevic, global macro strategist at Convera. "With mixed signals from the job market, they're unlikely to commit to either a 25 or 50 bp cut just yet."
Fed policymakers on Friday signalled they are ready to kick off a series of interest rate cuts at the central bank's upcoming meeting on Sept. 17-18, noting a cooling in the labour market that could accelerate into something more dire in the absence of a policy shift.
Futures show a 29% chance FEDWATCH that the Fed could ease rates by half a percentage point next week, with Wednesday's U.S. inflation report the next main economic indicator that could alter market pricing.
"While more substantial cuts through year-end are possible should data deteriorate, our baseline remains for a 25 bps rate cut in September, with easing at this pace also likely to occur in November and December," said David Doyle, head of economics at Macquarie.
In other currencies, the Australian dollar AUD=D3 advanced 0.04% to $0.6673, after having fallen more than 1% and touching a roughly three-week low on Friday.
The New Zealand dollar NZD=D3 fell 0.13% to $0.6167, languishing near Friday's two-week trough.
World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
Reporting by Rae Wee; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Jacqueline Wong
Aset Berkaitan
Berita Terkini
Penafian: Entiti XM Group menyediakan perkhidmatan pelaksanaan sahaja dan akses ke Kemudahan Dagangan Atas Talian, yang membolehkan sesorang melihat dan/atau menggunakan kandungan yang ada di dalam atau melalui laman web, tidak bertujuan untuk mengubah atau memperluas, juga tidak mengubah atau mengembangkannya. Akses dan penggunaan tersebut tertakluk kepada: (i) Terma dan Syarat; (ii) Amaran Risiko; dan Penafian Penuh. Oleh itu, kandungan sedemikian disediakan tidak lebih dari sekadar maklumat umum. Terutamanya, perlu diketahui bahawa kandungan Kemudahan Dagangan Atas Talian bukan permintaan, atau tawaran untuk melakukan transaksi dalam pasaran kewangan. Berdagang dalam mana-mana pasaran kewangan melibatkan tahap risiko yang besar terhadap modal anda.
Semua bahan yang diterbitkan di Kemudahan Dagangan Atas Talian kami bertujuan hanya untuk tujuan pendidikan/maklumat dan tidak mengandungi – dan tidak boleh dianggap mengandungi nasihat kewangan, cukai pelaburan atau dagangan dan cadangan, atau rekod harga dagangan kami, atau tawaran, atau permintaan untuk suatu transaksi dalam sebarang instrumen kewangan atau promosi kewangan yang tidak diminta kepada anda.
Sebarang kandungan pihak ketiga serta kandungan yang disediakan oleh XM, seperti pendapat, berita, penyelidikan, analisis, harga, maklumat lain atau pautan ke laman web pihak ketiga yang terdapat dalam laman web ini disediakan berdasarkan "seadanya" sebagai ulasan pasaran umum dan bukanlah nasihat pelaburan. Sesuai dengan apa-apa kandungan yang ditafsir sebagai penyelidikan pelaburan, anda mestilah ambil perhatian dan menerima bahawa kandungan tersebut tidak bertujuan dan tidak sediakan berdasarkan keperluan undang-undang yang direka untuk mempromosikan penyelidikan pelaburan bebas dan oleh itu, ia dianggap sebagai komunikasi pemasaran di bawah peraturan dan undang-undang yang berkaitan. SIla pastikan bahawa anda telah membaca dan memahami Notifikasi mengenai Penyelidikan Pelaburan Bukan Bebas dan Amaran Risiko mengenai maklumat di atas yang boleh diakses di sini.
