logo

Dollar indecisive as investors await more tariff clarity

Zawya6 days ago
SINGAPORE: The dollar traded in a tight range on Tuesday after a brief fall at the start of the week, as investors watched out for any progress on trade talks ahead of an August 1 deadline for countries to strike deals with the U.S. or face steep tariffs.
The yen mostly held to gains from the previous session following results from a weekend upper house election in Japan that proved no worse than what had already been priced in, as focus now turns to how quickly Tokyo can strike a trade deal with Washington and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's future at the helm.
The Japanese currency was last a touch weaker at 147.65 in early Asia trade, after rising 1% on Monday in the wake of the election outcome.
The bruising defeat suffered by Ishiba and his ruling coalition also drew just a modest response in the broader Japanese market, which returned from a holiday in the previous session.
"The initial relief for the yen that the ruling coalition did not lose even more seats and that Prime Minister Ishiba plans to hang on to power is likely to prove short-lived," said MUFG senior currency analyst Lee Hardman.
"The pick-up in political uncertainty in Japan could complicate reaching a timely trade deal with the U.S., posing downside risks for Japan's economy and the yen."
With just slightly over a week to go before an August 1 deadline on tariffs, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that the administration is more concerned with the quality of trade agreements than their timing.
Asked whether the deadline could be extended for countries engaged in productive talks with Washington, Bessent said President Donald Trump would make that decision.
Uncertainty over the eventual state of tariffs globally has been a huge overhang for the foreign exchange market, leaving currencies trading in a tight range for the most part, even as stocks on Wall Street have scaled fresh highs.
"Nothing that happens on August 1 is necessarily permanent, so long as the U.S. administration remains willing to talk, as was indicated in Trump's letters from two weeks ago," said Thierry Wizman, global FX and rates strategist at Macquarie Group.
The dollar was last steady after slipping in the previous session due in part to the yen's rise and a dip in U.S. Treasury yields, leaving sterling trading 0.03% lower at $1.3488.
The euro fell 0.12% to $1.1684, with focus also on a rate decision by the European Central Bank later this week, where expectations are for policymakers to stand pat on rates.
The European Union is exploring a broader set of possible counter measures against the United States as prospects for an acceptable trade agreement with Washington fade, according to EU diplomats.
Against a basket of currencies, the dollar rose slightly to 97.94, after having fallen 0.6% on Monday.
Also weighing on investors' minds has been worries about the Federal Reserve's independence, given Trump has railed repeatedly against Chair Jerome Powell and urged him to resign because of the central bank's reluctance to cut interest rates.
"Our base case remains that solid U.S. data and a tariff driven rebound in inflation will keep the FOMC on hold into 2026, and that the resulting shift in interest rate differentials will drive a continued rebound in the dollar in the next few months," said Jonas Goltermann, deputy chief markets economist at Capital Economics.
"But that view is clearly at the mercy of the White House's whims."
Elsewhere, the Australian dollar eased 0.05% to $0.6522, while the New Zealand dollar fell 0.14% to $0.5960.
(Reporting by Rae Wee Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US and EU strike an 'across the board' agreement on tariffs
US and EU strike an 'across the board' agreement on tariffs

The National

time4 hours ago

  • The National

US and EU strike an 'across the board' agreement on tariffs

US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday they had reached a deal to end a transatlantic tariff dispute, averting the risk of a full-scale trade war. Mr Trump and Ms Von der Leyen held private talks at one of Mr Trump's golf courses in Scotland and later announced what the US President called an 'across-the-board' agreement. The breakthrough comes just days before an August 1 deadline for the European Union to strike a deal with Washington or face a sweeping 30 per cent US tariff on EU goods. 'We have reached a deal. It's a good deal for everybody,' Mr Trump told reporters. Mr Trump said the deal involved a baseline levy of 15 per cent on EU exports to the United States, the same level secured by Japan, including for the bloc's crucial auto sector, which is currently being taxed at 25 per cent. 'We are agreeing that the tariff straight across, for cars and everything else, will be a straight across tariff of 15 per cent,' he added. Mr Trump also said the bloc had agreed to purchase "$750 billion worth of energy' from the United States, as well as $600 billion more in additional investments in the country. Negotiating on behalf of the EU's 27 countries, Ms Von der Leyen's European Commission had been pushing hard to salvage a trading relationship worth an annual $1.9 trillion in goods and services. 'It's a good deal,' the EU chief told reporters, sitting alongside Mr Trump following their hour-long talks. 'It will bring stability. It will bring predictability. That's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic,' she said. The EU has been hit by multiple waves of tariffs since Mr Trump reclaimed the White House. It is currently subject to a 25 per cent levy on cars, 50 per cent on steel and aluminium, and an across-the-board tariff of 10 per cent, which Washington threatens to hike to 30 per cent in a no-deal scenario. Brussels has been focused on getting a deal to avoid sweeping tariffs that would further harm its sluggish economy with retaliation held out as a last resort.

India's TCS to cut 12,000 jobs as demand contracts
India's TCS to cut 12,000 jobs as demand contracts

Khaleej Times

time9 hours ago

  • Khaleej Times

India's TCS to cut 12,000 jobs as demand contracts

Indian IT giant Tata Consultancy Services said on Sunday it will cut around two percent of its global workforce, or about 12,000 jobs, as demand contracts in the sector it leads. The software services firm — India's largest by market cap — said the reductions would mainly affect employees in middle and senior roles and would be rolled out over the course of this year. TCS employs 613,000 people worldwide, and the IT services sector is one of India's biggest employers and revenue earners. The company said the move was part of efforts to become a "future-ready" organisation as it enters new markets and scales up its use of artificial intelligence. "As part of this journey, we will also be releasing associates from the organisation whose deployment may not be feasible," TCS said in a statement. It said the restructuring was being carried out with "due care" to avoid disruption to client services. After TCS's June-quarter revenue fell short of expectations, CEO K Krithivasan said this month that "continued global macro-economic and geopolitical uncertainties caused a demand contraction". IT services are the most visible part of India's modern economy and historically one of its biggest white-collar job creators, driving the expansion of the middle class. But a slowdown in the sector has seen hundreds of thousands of new graduates struggle to find work.

Trump, EU chief seek deal in transatlantic tariffs standoff
Trump, EU chief seek deal in transatlantic tariffs standoff

Khaleej Times

time10 hours ago

  • Khaleej Times

Trump, EU chief seek deal in transatlantic tariffs standoff

US President Donald Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen prepared to meet Sunday in Scotland in a push to resolve a months-long transatlantic trade standoff that is going down to the wire. Trump has said he sees a 50-50 chance of reaching a deal with the European Union, having vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive tariffs unless they hammer out a pact with Washington by August 1. The EU is currently facing the threat of an across-the-board levy of 30 percent from that date. Von der Leyen's European Commission, negotiating on behalf of the EU's member countries, has been pushing hard for a deal to salvage a trading relationship worth an annual $1.9 trillion in goods and services. Any deal with the United States will need approval by all 27 member states. EU ambassadors, on a visit to Greenland, were to meet Sunday morning to discuss the latest negotiations -- and again after any accord. Sunday's sit-down between Trump and the EU chief was to take place at 4:30 pm (1530 GMT) in Turnberry, on Scotland's southwestern coast, where Trump owns a luxury golf resort. The 79-year-old American leader said Friday he hoped to strike "the biggest deal of them all" with the EU. "I think we have a good 50-50 chance" of a deal, the president said, citing sticking points on "maybe 20 different things". He praised von der Leyen as "a highly respected woman" -- a far cry from his erstwhile hostility in accusing the EU of existing to "screw" the United States. But late-night EU talks with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Saturday to hammer out the final details were "combative at times," The Financial Times reported. As of Saturday evening, there were "still quite a few open questions" -- notably on pharmaceutical sector tariffs, said one EU diplomat. Tariff levels on the auto sector were also crucial for the Europeans -- notably France and Germany -- and the EU has been pushing for a compromise on steel that could allow a certain quota into the United States before tariffs would apply. Baseline 15% According to European diplomats, the deal on the table involves a baseline levy of around 15 percent on EU exports to the United States -- the level secured by Japan -- with carve-outs for critical sectors including aircraft, lumber and spirits excluding wine. The EU would commit to ramp up purchases of US liquefied natural gas, along with a series of investment pledges. Hit by multiple waves of tariffs since Trump reclaimed the White House, the EU is currently subject to a 25-percent levy on cars, 50 percent on steel and aluminium, and an across-the-board tariff of 10 percent, which Washington threatens to hike to 30 percent in a no-deal scenario. The EU has focused on getting a deal with Washington to avoid sweeping tariffs that would further harm its sluggish economy, with retaliation as a last resort. While 15 percent would be much higher than pre-existing US tariffs on European goods -- at 4.8 percent -- it would mirror the status quo, with companies already facing an additional flat rate of 10 percent. Should talks fail, EU states have greenlit counter tariffs on $109 billion (93 billion euros) of US goods including aircraft and cars to take effect in stages from August 7. Brussels is also drawing up a list of US services to potentially target. Beyond that, countries like France say Brussels should not be afraid to deploy a so-called trade "bazooka" -- EU legislation designed to counter coercion through trade measures which involves restricting access to its market and public contracts. But such a step would mark a major escalation with Washington. Ratings dropping Trump has embarked since returning to power on a campaign to reshape US trade with the world. But polls suggest the American public is unconvinced, with a recent Gallup survey showing his approval rating at 37 percent -- down 10 points from January. Having promised "90 deals in 90 days," Trump's administration has so far unveiled five, including with Britain, Japan and the Philippines. Early Sunday, ahead of his meeting with Von der Leyen, Trump was out again on the golf course, having spent most of Saturday playing at Turnberry amid tight security. The trip to Scotland has put physical distance between Trump and the scandal around Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy financier accused of sex trafficking who died in prison in 2019 before facing trial. In his heyday, Epstein was friends with Trump and others in the New York jet-set, but the president is facing backlash from his own MAGA supporters demanding access to the Epstein case files. With the uproar refusing to die down, a headline agreement with the EU -- in addition to bolstering Trump's dealmaker credentials -- could bring a welcome distraction.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store