Dollar slips ahead of Fed testimony
Tuesday,
17-Jul-2018
04:38 PM (IST)
The dollar edged down on Tuesday ahead of congressional testimony by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell which traders will scrutinize for clues on the pace of U.S. interest rate rises and risks emanating from trade conflicts.Powell will testify on the economy and monetary policy before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee at 1400 GMT on Tuesday.He is expected to deliver an upbeat message on the outlook for growth and reaffirm the Fed's gradual monetary tightening policy but could face tough questions on the central bank's independence and how it would deal with an escalation in the global trade war.The dollar traded down 0.2 percent at 94.37 (DXY) against a basket of six major currencies, paring small gains booked during early morning trade.The U.S. currency traded flat against the yen to 112.27 yen , after having approached earlier in the session a six-month high of 112.80 yen reached on July 13.The dollar's gains have this year been capped by worries over the intensifying trade dispute between the United States and China, although the concerns have not derailed the greenback's solid performance so far.The International Monetary Fund had warned on Monday that escalating and sustained trade conflicts following U.S. tariff action threaten to derail economic recovery and depress medium-term growth prospects.The euro and British pound rose modestly against the greenback. The single currency added 0.2 percent to $1.1738 after weakening half a percent last week while the pound was up 0.1 percent at $1.3255.
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