The US dollar fell against a basket of major currencies on Wednesday after remarks by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell strengthened market expectations for a series of interest rate cuts over the coming months.
The Japanese yen and the Australian dollar emerged as the best-performing currencies of the day, both continuing to recover from the sharp declines they recorded against the greenback last week.
Analysts also pointed to additional support from Beijing’s decision to fix the official yuan exchange rate at a stronger level than the 7.1 per dollar line — the first time Chinese authorities have taken such a step since last November.
Despite rising trade tensions between the United States and China, including a new tariff dispute, the risk-sensitive Australian dollar continued to climb. The yen also strengthened, even amid growing uncertainty over Japan’s next prime minister, with local media reports suggesting that a parliamentary vote scheduled for next week could be delayed due to internal political disagreements.
Dollar Index Extends Losses for the Second Session
The dollar index — which measures the greenback’s performance against six major currencies — fell by 0.2% to 98.844 points as of 05:36 GMT, extending its 0.2% decline from the previous session.
In a speech on Tuesday, Jerome Powell kept the door open for potential rate cuts, noting that the US labor market remains mired in stagnation with low levels of hiring and layoffs. He added that the lack of official economic data caused by the government shutdown has not prevented monetary policymakers from assessing the outlook “at least for now.”
According to LSEG data, markets are currently pricing in a strong probability that the Federal Reserve will cut rates by 25 basis points at its October 28–29 meeting, followed by another cut in December and three additional cuts next year.
Analysts at DBS said markets are currently trading in a “Goldilocks mode” — a reference to an ideal balance between solid economic growth and accommodative monetary policy. They added that “trade tensions, the government shutdown, and inflation concerns are all being set aside for now.”
Comments from Washington and Beijing Ease Market Concerns
Remarks by Jamieson Greer, the US Trade Representative, helped calm markets on Tuesday after he told CNBC that President Donald Trump still plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in an effort to reduce trade tensions between the two nations.
In currency markets, the dollar fell 0.4% to 151.23 yen after earlier touching a session low of 151.005 yen. It also slipped 0.2% to 7.1284 yuan in offshore trading.
The Australian dollar rose 0.4% to 0.6514 US dollars after falling 0.5% the previous day to its lowest level since August 22 at 0.64405 dollars.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand dollar edged up 0.1% to 0.5718 dollars after hitting a six-month low of 0.56839 dollars on Tuesday.
Paul Conway, chief economist at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, told Bloomberg TV on Wednesday that policymakers stand ready to cut rates again if necessary, following a significant rate reduction last week.
Euro and Pound Supported by Domestic Developments
The euro rose 0.1% to 1.1621 dollars after gaining 0.3% in the previous session, supported by the French government’s proposal to suspend its controversial pension reforms — a move investors viewed positively for eurozone markets.
The British pound climbed 0.3% to 1.3355 dollars, rebounding from Tuesday’s losses after official data showed a slowdown in UK wage growth, prompting some traders to scale back bets on further monetary tightening from the Bank of England.
