The US best dollar rate has managed to climb as investors search for a safe haven for their funds. Additionally, unlike in other markets, US bond yields appear to be going higher, outperforming many other bonds. Investors are looking forward to data coming on jobs, the JOLTS Job opening data, and the November PMI survey. This has already had an effect on the dollar rate. On Monday alone, the US dollar index rose by 0.5%, reaching around 103.5 by the next day.
In the meantime, the mainstream indices in the US have lowered. Traders have gotten risk-averse recently with the Hamas-Israel conflict. The ceasefire has ended, and fighting has continued, now moving onto South Gaza. As the fighting goes on, international commentators have become wary of the conflict and see that the death toll has been higher than they anticipated. There are now worries that this could all lead to more conflicts in the region of the Middle East. Lebanon’s Hezbollah joining in does not seem like a highly unlikely scenario. This could lead to more volatility in markets, impacting the best dollar rate. A dollar rate shift seems likely in any case.
The futures index in the US stock market, for example, has lowered by around 0.3%, and this pattern appears to be continuing. UN officials have stated that the situation keeps deteriorating further and further. Civilians have to move further and further and have no reliable place to stay for their safety from the bombing campaign.
Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of Australia does not appear to be adjusting its interest rate. After their policy meeting, they appear to plan to be keeping the rate around 4.35%. This has already had an effect on the Australian dollar against the US dollar. The AUD/USD rate has now lowered so that one can buy dollars below 0.66. They will adjust their interest rate policy depending on how risk sentiment changes in the market.
