The US Dollar (USD) will be a difficult currency to trade this Wednesday, and not just because of the US inflation numbers. Rather because of the fact that these inflation numbers are for the month of August, while in the past two weeks a lot of elements have changed and might actually see current numbers being obsolete.
Traders will be specifically watching both the Core and headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) on a monthly basis. The Monthly Core is expected to stay steady at 0.2%, whereas the overall inflation index is expected to rise from 0.2% to 0.6%. So it looks like the US Dollar might weaken a bit, as core inflation is declining.
The element that could send the Greenback all over the place is the fact that the energy part of it was in deflation during the last few prints. Recent production cuts from Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ members have seen oil prices shooting through the roof. The recent rise in prices at the gas pumps could mean that this Wednesday’s number is not a correct reflection of where US inflation is actually at this moment.
The Greenback failed to find enough US Dollar bulls in order to erase all the losses from Monday. Traders rather sent the US Dollar Index (DXY) back to square one, making it a flat week ahead of the US inflation numbers. Expect the expected decline in inflation to lead to some US Dollar weakness.
The new high to watch is at 105.16, both the high from last Thursday and the six-month high. The US Dollar Index first needs to gain back its lost territory from this Monday and break above the high of 104.93. Beyond 105.16, the next level to watch is 105.88, the high of 2023.
On Monday, 104.44 kept it together and refrained from allowing the DXY from selling off any further. The high of August 25 did its job and acted as a pivotal level. Should the uptick from this Tuesday reverse and 104.44 gives way, a substantial downturn could take place to 103.04, where the 200-day SMA comes into play for support.
Inflation measures the rise in the price of a representative basket of goods and services. Headline inflation is usually expressed as a percentage change on a month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY) basis. Core inflation excludes more volatile elements such as food and fuel which can fluctuate because of geopolitical and seasonal factors. Core inflation is the figure economists focus on and is the level targeted by central banks, which are mandated to keep inflation at a manageable level, usually around 2%.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the change in prices of a basket of goods and services over a period of time. It is usually expressed as a percentage change on a month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY) basis. Core CPI is the figure targeted by central banks as it excludes volatile food and fuel inputs. When Core CPI rises above 2% it usually results in higher interest rates and vice versa when it falls below 2%. Since higher interest rates are positive for a currency, higher inflation usually results in a stronger currency. The opposite is true when inflation falls.
Although it may seem counter-intuitive, high inflation in a country pushes up the value of its currency and vice versa for lower inflation. This is because the central bank will normally raise interest rates to combat the higher inflation, which attract more global capital inflows from investors looking for a lucrative place to park their money.
Formerly, Gold was the asset investors turned to in times of high inflation because it preserved its value, and whilst investors will often still buy Gold for its safe-haven properties in times of extreme market turmoil, this is not the case most of the time. This is because when inflation is high, central banks will put up interest rates to combat it.
Higher interest rates are negative for Gold because they increase the opportunity-cost of holding Gold vis-a-vis an interest-bearing asset or placing the money in a cash deposit account. On the flipside, lower inflation tends to be positive for Gold as it brings interest rates down, making the bright metal a more viable investment alternative.
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