The dollar index (DXY00) on Thursday tumbled to a 1.5-week low and finished down by -0.95%. Thursday’s +2% rally in the yen weighed on the dollar after the Nikkei reported that the Japanese government and the BOJ conducted yen-buying operations. Earlier on Thursday, Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama warned that Japan is close to intervening in the forex market to support the yen. Also, lower crude oil prices on Thursday eased inflation expectations, a dovish factor for Fed policy, and a negative factor for the dollar. The dollar extended its losses on Thursday after US Q1 GDP grew at a slower-than-expected pace and Mar leading indicators fell by the most in eleven months.
The dollar found some support on Thursday after US weekly jobless claims fell to a 57-year low, the Q1 employment cost index rose more than expected, and the US Mar core PCE price index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, rose 3.2% y/y, the largest increase in 2.25 years.
