Dollar Holds Steady Ahead of CPI
2026-02-13 01:52
By
Jam Kaimo Samonte
1 min. read
The dollar index held steady around 97 on Friday, moving sideways for the fourth straight session as investors prepared for the January consumer price index report that could shape expectations for Federal Reserve policy.
The CPI is anticipated to show headline inflation easing to 2.5% from 2.7% and core inflation moderating to 2.5% from 2.6%.
Earlier this week, robust US nonfarm payrolls highlighted labor market resilience, although the latest weekly jobless claims came in above forecasts.
Markets currently expect the Fed to keep rates steady in March, with two 25-basis-point cuts priced in later this year, one in June and another in September.
Over the week, the dollar is set to decline more than 2% against the yen, following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s decisive election win and fresh verbal interventions from Tokyo.
The Australian dollar also posted strong gains amid hawkish signals from the Reserve Bank of Australia.