DXY: Dollar Index Reels from 2-Week Slide as Monster Rally Skids on Rate-Hike Pause

Investors are solidifying their expectations that the Federal Reserve won’t tweak rates to the upside any time soon.

• The US dollar index DXY was slow to move earlier today after a second-straight losing week. The gauge, measuring the buck’s strength against six rival currencies, floated above 103.30 in the first deals of the week, down 3.5% from its November high of 107.15.
• With that recent drop, the dollar index has erased about half of all gains accumulated in the hulking 11-week winning streak through late September. What’s the deal with this decline and why now? Fresh economic data suggests that the labor market is cooling, inflation has peaked, and interest rate hikes are no longer the main character.
• The dollar is highly sensitive to interest rates, which help lift its returns. Once rates start plateauing (like now), investors have little incentive to stuff their pockets with dollars. Instead, they turn to higher-risk-higher-return prospects such as stocks and did someone say Bitcoin BTCUSD?