The offshore yuan weakened to 6.89 per dollar on Friday, reversing the previous session’s gains as a stronger greenback weighed on the currency. The US dollar advanced after major central banks warned that the ongoing Middle East conflict could stoke inflation, prompting traders to scale back expectations for a Federal Reserve rate cut this year. In China, the central bank kept key lending rates unchanged for a tenth straight month in March 2026, with the one-year loan prime rate at 3% and the five-year at 3.5%. The cautious stance reflects mounting uncertainties, including surging oil prices driven by Middle East tensions, while China’s lower 2026 growth target of 4.5%–5% has reduced the urgency for monetary easing. Analysts said that higher oil prices could help China exit prolonged deflation, but they emphasized that, with weak demand or reduced industrial overcapacity, manufacturers may still face rising input costs. Despite Friday’s decline, the yuan is still set for weekly gains.

The USD/CNY exchange rate rose to 6.9054 on March 20, 2026, up 0.41% from the previous session. Over the past month, the Chinese Yuan has weakened 0.23%, but it's up by 4.85% over the last 12 months. Historically, the USDCNY reached an all time high of 8.73 in January of 1994. Chinese Yuan - data, forecasts, historical chart - was last updated on March 22 of 2026.

The USD/CNY exchange rate rose to 6.9054 on March 20, 2026, up 0.41% from the previous session. Over the past month, the Chinese Yuan has weakened 0.23%, but it's up by 4.85% over the last 12 months. The Chinese Yuan is expected to trade at 6.90 by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate it to trade at 6.83 in 12 months time.



Crosses Price Day Year Date
USDCNY 6.9067 0.0282 0.41% -4.83% Mar/20
EURCNY 7.9924 0.0208 0.26% 1.78% Mar/20
GBPCNY 9.2145 -0.0244 -0.26% -1.69% Mar/20
AUDCNY 4.8506 -0.0243 -0.50% 6.54% Mar/20
NZDCNY 4.0174 -0.0223 -0.55% -3.52% Mar/20
CNYJPY 23.0543 0.1214 0.53% 12.05% Mar/20
CNYARS 201.5177 -1.2876 -0.63% 36.88% Mar/20
CNYBRL 0.7691 0.0102 1.35% -1.80% Mar/20
CNYCAD 0.1985 -0.0012 -0.61% 0.42% Mar/20
CNYCHF 0.1141 -0.0005 -0.42% -6.15% Mar/20
CNYDKK 0.9350 -0.0023 -0.24% -1.62% Mar/20
CNYHKD 1.1341 -0.0048 -0.42% 5.88% Mar/20
CNYINR 13.5680 0.0598 0.44% 14.51% Mar/20
CNYKRW 218.0260 1.5551 0.72% 7.94% Mar/20
CNYMXN 2.5872 0.0086 0.33% -7.23% Mar/20
CNYRUB 12.0378 -0.4869 -3.89% 3.39% Mar/20
CNYSGD 0.1857 -0.00003 -0.02% 0.85% Mar/20
CNYZAR 2.4633 0.0294 1.21% -1.78% Mar/20
 Currencies
 CNY...
 ...CNY



Related Last Previous Unit Reference
United States Inflation Rate 2.40 2.40 percent Feb 2026
China Inflation Rate 1.30 0.20 percent Feb 2026
China Loan Prime Rate 3.00 3.00 percent Mar 2026
United States Fed Funds Interest Rate 3.75 3.75 percent Mar 2026
United States Unemployment Rate 4.40 4.30 percent Feb 2026
China Unemployment Rate 5.30 5.20 percent Feb 2026

Chinese Yuan
The USDCNY exchange rate is a reference rate not used in actual currency trading. When investors or entities want to exchange dollars for the Chinese currency, they do so using the USDCNH exchange rate set in Hong Kong. The People's Bank of China sets the yuan's mid-point rate and the onshore yuan (USDCNY) is allowed to trade 2% higher or lower than the PBoC’s central reference rate. The offshore yuan (USDCNH) which trades outside the mainland is not controlled. The USDCNY and the USDCNH are not very different and usually trade less than a few cents apart. China's Foreign Exchange Trade System published a new yuan index, on December 11th, 2015 including 13 currencies and extended it on January 1st 2017 to 24. The CFETS RMB Index measures the value of yuan against a basket of 24 major currencies, with weights based on international trade and has an end-2014 base year. The USD accounts for the largest share (22.4 percent), followed by the euro (accounting for 16.3 percent) and the yen (11.5 percent). The index also includes the currencies of Hong Kong, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Canada, Malaysia, Russia, Thailand, South Africa, South Korea, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Turkey and Mexico. .
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
6.91 6.88 8.73 1.53 1981 - 2026 Daily

News Stream
Offshore Yuan Falls, Still Set for Weekly Gains
The offshore yuan weakened to 6.89 per dollar on Friday, reversing the previous session’s gains as a stronger greenback weighed on the currency. The US dollar advanced after major central banks warned that the ongoing Middle East conflict could stoke inflation, prompting traders to scale back expectations for a Federal Reserve rate cut this year. In China, the central bank kept key lending rates unchanged for a tenth straight month in March 2026, with the one-year loan prime rate at 3% and the five-year at 3.5%. The cautious stance reflects mounting uncertainties, including surging oil prices driven by Middle East tensions, while China’s lower 2026 growth target of 4.5%–5% has reduced the urgency for monetary easing. Analysts said that higher oil prices could help China exit prolonged deflation, but they emphasized that, with weak demand or reduced industrial overcapacity, manufacturers may still face rising input costs. Despite Friday’s decline, the yuan is still set for weekly gains.
2026-03-20
Offshore Yuan Rebounds
The offshore yuan strengthened to 6.90 per dollar on Thursday, rebounding from the previous session as fading expectations of an imminent rate cut by the People’s Bank of China lent support to the currency. Beijing's rate markets signaled a reduced likelihood of further monetary easing, as recent data suggest a stronger-than-expected start to 2026, alongside a modest rebound in consumer prices and easing factory-gate deflation. At the same time, a sharp surge in global oil prices, driven by escalating conflict in the Middle East, is potentially limiting the scope for aggressive monetary loosening. Investors are adjusting their outlook, with markets now leaning toward a steady or slightly firmer policy stance from the central bank. Attention is now turning to Friday’s announcement of China’s benchmark loan prime rates, where the one-year and five-year tenors are widely expected to remain unchanged at 3.0% and 3.5%, respectively.
2026-03-19
Offshore Yuan Slips on Dollar Strength
The offshore yuan slipped to around 6.88 per dollar on Wednesday, snapping a two-session winning streak, as a strengthening greenback weighed on the currency. The US dollar gained as the Federal Reserve held its federal funds rate unchanged, while signaling a single rate reduction this year and a further cut in 2027, consistent with its December outlook. Still, the yuan remained supported by China’s lower exposure to oil shocks, resilient exports, and exporters’ continued dollar selling. Recent data also showed that China’s factory output growth accelerated in January and February, while retail sales rebounded. Meanwhile, US President Donlad Trump asked Xi Jinping to postpone their meeting by about a month so he could remain in Washington to oversee the Middle East conflict, though the delay may be manageable for Beijing as officials from both sides met in Paris in recent days to continue trade talks.
2026-03-17