The U.S. dollar strengthened on Tuesday ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy-setting meeting, while the Japanese yen weakened amid suspected intervention.
At 04:40 ET (08:40 GMT), the Dollar Index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six other major currencies, rose by 0.3% to 105.780, marking a gain of approximately 1.4% for the month of April.
Focus on Fed Meeting
The dollar has been in demand this month due to a series of higher-than-expected U.S. inflation readings, prompting traders to revise expectations for early rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
The Federal Reserve commences its two-day meeting later in the session, with expectations leaning towards the central bank maintaining interest rates at the current elevated levels of 5.25%-5.5% upon conclusion of the gathering on Wednesday.
Investors are keen to discern whether the Fed still anticipates interest rate cuts later this year. Initial expectations for a rate cut in March were pushed back to June, and now the consensus points towards a potential rate cut in September.