USD market update:

[Susan from Moneycorp]

Happy Friday evening everyone,
I'm not sure if too many people follow the USD movements, but at the moment the USD and the Dow Jones is having a significant effect on the world's currrencies.
I thought I'd add our USD weekly round-up tonight for anyone who's interested. I hope everyone has a restful weekend ~
 

USD weekly roundup – Friday 27. March.

The US dollar has remained relatively resilient so far during the pandemic, but events have shown that it is not entirely invincible. As the virus continues to spread across the US and it is clear that the country isn’t insulated against such global woes, and this has impacted the US dollar.

The US Federal Reserve cut its Funds rate twice in March; it now stands at 0-0.25%. This isn’t the only action available to the Fed and they’ve taken a comprehensive approach, making swap arrangements to provide dollars to the central banks of Australia, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and New Zealand, allowing them to tap up to $450 billion. It has also pledged to soak up a wide range of securities in order to calm markets, support businesses and keep credit flowing. A decade ago the Fed’s early rounds of quantitative easing purchases were limited to US Treasury instruments. The criteria broadened in subsequent rounds of QE. The Fed’s latest “whatever it takes” programme opens the floodgates to all manner of instruments and sets no limit on what it will spend, which means almost unlimited quantitative easing.

This week, US equities fell by 16% at one point and some investors are starting to look forward to life after the worst of the pandemic has receded. Investment bank Morgan Stanley estimates that the US economy will shrink by 30% in the second quarter. St Louis Fed President James Bullard is more optimistic, suggesting that “a potential $2.5 trillion hit coming to the economy is both necessary and manageable… an investment in public health that lays the groundwork for a rapid rebound.” In either case, it may be that it is too close to call at the moment.

Pressure on the dollar has come from the perception of the government’s response to the pandemic; the USD2trillion package is expected to be approved by the end of the week. Many feel that the US have been late off the blocks when it comes to offering support and may not have done enough to prevent the spread of the virus in the meantime. Employment numbers are expected to show a jump of 2m people unemployed, but in the circumstances this may not prove catastrophic of the dollar when the results are published.

While it is difficult to project with any certainty, what is clear is that for some time the US dollar may have been operating business as usual, but there is nothing usual about the situation that the world has found itself in. Liquidity is in short supply and fluctuations this week have shown that the US dollar is not entirely immune to the same pressures as its currency rivals.

The situation is changing by the hour and if you’re looking to buy or sell US dollars, it’s worth working with a currency specialist like moneycorp. As well as allowing you to organise your transfer online or over the phone while you’re staying at home, great rates, low transfer fees and expert guidance on the rapidly evolving market will help you make the most of your money and get it where it needs to be in such difficult times.