US Dollar Rises to 7-Week High
2026-09-16 18:42
By
Andre Joaquim
1 min. read
The dollar index rose past the 100 for the first time in nearly seven weeks on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25bps.
The decision was unanimous among the FOMC and expected by markets after recent data pointed to elevated gauges of underlying inflation, low unemployment, and a sharp rebound in retail sales that underscores the strong position of consumers despite higher price growth.
Projections by the policy-setting committee pointed to a loose consensus that at least one other hike is warranted this year, while unemployment was revised lower and economic growth was revised higher.
The decision supported the dollar after earlier remarks by Chairman Warsh raised skepticism over the Fed's willingness to fight inflation through higher policy rates instead of other tools, rekindling a dash to precious metals and other safe currencies.
In the meantime, the Bank of England is expected to hold rates unchanged tomorrow, while the Bank of Japan is due to hike.