Dollar Index Steady Amid Rising Interest Rate Expectations

The dollar index remained stable as market expectations for a potential interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve increased. According to RTHK, the index was reported at 99.5 earlier, marking a 0.2% rise, although it has declined by about 1% over the week, ending a two-week upward trend. The U.S. dollar also strengthened against the Japanese yen, rising above 159, peaking at 159.38, and settling around 159.2 by the New York close, up approximately 1%. Commodity currencies experienced larger declines, with the Australian dollar falling to around 0.702 against the U.S. dollar, a drop of about 0.9%. Similarly, the New Zealand dollar fell over 0.6%, remaining above 0.583. U.S. Treasury yields saw significant increases, with the 10-year yield reaching a high of 4.393%, up 11 basis points, marking the highest level in over seven and a half months. It hovered around 4.385% by the close. The 30-year yield briefly surpassed 4.96%, while the two-year yield exceeded 3.94% before retreating to 4.94% and 3.9%, respectively, by the end of the trading session.