Dollar Hobbled by Economic Worries; Euro Remains in Favor

US dollar drifted within a tight range on Monday, pressured by lower Treasury yields - Reuters
US dollar drifted within a tight range on Monday, pressured by lower Treasury yields - Reuters
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Dollar Hobbled by Economic Worries; Euro Remains in Favor

US dollar drifted within a tight range on Monday, pressured by lower Treasury yields - Reuters
US dollar drifted within a tight range on Monday, pressured by lower Treasury yields - Reuters

The dollar hovered near a five-month low against major peers on Monday, bruised by President Donald Trump's erratic trade policies and soft economic data, at a time when other currencies, including the euro, benefit from domestic drivers.

The euro was last at $1.0905, up 0.2% on the day, and heading back towards the $1.0947 it hit last week, its highest since October 11.

The Japanese yen was also marginally stronger on the day at 148.48 per dollar, again after hitting its strongest in five months last week at 146.5 to the dollar.

That left the dollar index, which measures the US currency against its six major counterparts, at 103.5, just off its five-month trough of 103.21 reached last Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Currency markets have undergone a shift in recent months, as traders re-evaluate their initial expectations that Trump's economic policies would both support the dollar and cause other currencies to weaken.

In fact the reverse has happened, and analysts at Societe Generale said on Monday that they had changed their currency forecasts "to reflect Germany's planned fiscal changes, the US economy's self-inflicted (relative) fragility, and Japan’s escape from deflation".

They see the euro at $1.13 by year-end and the yen at 139 per dollar.



Türkiye's Simsek to Meet Ratings Agencies, Investors on US Trip

Cargo ships are anchored in the Marmara Sea as they await to cross the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP)
Cargo ships are anchored in the Marmara Sea as they await to cross the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP)
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Türkiye's Simsek to Meet Ratings Agencies, Investors on US Trip

Cargo ships are anchored in the Marmara Sea as they await to cross the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP)
Cargo ships are anchored in the Marmara Sea as they await to cross the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP)

Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said he will meet with rating agencies, investors and companies planning to shift supply to Türkiye during a visit to the United States this week.

"I will be in America this week for the IMF, World Bank and G20 meetings. We will meet with rating agencies in New York at the beginning of the week and then with direct investors based in America," Simsek told reporters during a weekend visit to Türkiye's Black Sea province of Giresun.

"We will meet with real sector representatives, especially US companies that plan to shift their supply to Türkiye, especially following recent developments," he said, referring to the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

Last Friday, Türkiye's overnight interest rate rose to the new upper band of the rate corridor, around 49%, a day after the central bank's surprise policy tightening.

Those moves followed weeks of market turmoil triggered by the March arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, and then the imposition of tariffs by Trump.

Simsek said he would attend around 15 bilateral meetings or meetings organized by investment banks each day in the United States, and would convey the message that Türkiye's economic program will not change.

"In all these meetings, we will say that there is no change in the program, that there is a very strong political will behind the program," Simsek said.