Chart Of The Day: What Would Send The U.S. Dollar To 118

 | Oct 20, 2022 22:22

The dollar retreated 0.15% as China considered reducing inbound quarantine to 7 from 10 days. The greenback's slide followed Wednesday's 0.75% jump, the sharpest advance in a week, as soaring UK inflation reawoke interest rates concerns. The cost of food in the UK surged 14.6% annually in September, the strongest advance in 42 years. Overall inflation jumped 10.1% from 9.9%, with momentum likely pushing it further. The pound sterling dropped 0.9% for the second day and an overall selloff of 1.25%.

I don't expect the current decline in the dollar will persist and is but a short-term response to the possibility of a shorter Chinese quarantine. Bearish bets on Asian currencies continued in light of the consistently ultra-hawkish Federal Reserve, forcing other central banks to keep up. The dollar crossed the dramatic 150 level against the yen for the first time since August 1990 and registered an all-time high against the Indian rupee at 83.268.

The dollar also enjoyed the support of rising yields, with the 10-year note reaching 4.178% for the first time since June 2008. Conversely, gold came within 0.5% of the September 28 low of $1,618, not seen since April 2020, and I expect gold to fall toward $1,300.