Dollar Recovers on Improved Risk Sentiment

The US Dollar saw broad gains after an improvement in risk appetite helped to bolster equities and push yields on US treasury instruments significantly higher. That helped the US Dollar Index end a 4-day losing streak and gain 0.2% on Thursday’s close. The Index is used by FX traders to gauge the relative strength of the greenback. Wall Street equities moved higher on Thursday in advance of the anticipated released of upbeat earnings reports. Donald Trump’s latest rhetoric, that a Syrian military strike is now on the back burner, also helped to improve sentiment.

As reported at 9:58 am (JST) in Tokyo, the USD/JPY was trading at 107.339 Yen, a gain of 0.04%; the session peak for the pair is at 107.372 Yen while the low is at 107.206 Yen. Remaining in Asia, the AUD/USD is trading higher at $0.776, a gain of 0.054%; the pair has ranged from a low of $0.77528 while the peak is at $0.77670. The NZD/USD is flat at $0.7385.

Trump Risk Still a Worry

One FX strategist in Tokyo said that the Dollar will only remain supported if risk sentiment for equities continues to recede. They caution, however, that what some investors are calling “Trump risk” is likely to continue to dictate the equity market’s direction.