SINGAPORE, Aug 22 — The dollar held steady against a basket of currencies this morning, with traders focusing on the annual central banking conference in Jackson Hole this week for insights on the outlook for monetary policy.
The dollar index last stood at 93.101, having retreated from a three-week high of 94.145 set last Wednesday.
The near-term focus is on a speech by US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Friday at the Fed’s annual central banking conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
If Yellen’s speech increases market expectations that the Fed will raise interest rates in December, that could prompt investors to unwind bearish bets against the dollar, and lend the greenback some support, said Stephen Innes, head of trading in Asia-Pacific for OANDA in Singapore.
“This could be a platform for the US dollar,” Innes said, referring to the Jackson Hole conference.
The greenback has been hampered in recent days by renewed investor concerns about the Trump administration’s ability to implement its economic policy agenda.
Persistent doubts about the prospects for another Fed interest rate hike this year, at a time of subdued US inflation, have also weighed on the dollar.
Against the yen, the dollar edged up 0.2 per cent to 109.13 , having edged up from Monday’s intraday low near 108.63 yen.
The euro held steady at US$1.1815 (RM5.07), consolidating after rising 0.5 per cent yesterday. — Reuters
