GBPUSD Exchange Rate

The U.S. dollar declined against its major counterparts in the New York session on Friday on growing expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve could start cutting interest rates as early as September.

Suggesting softer economic conditions lay ahead, the Conference Board released a report on Friday showing a continued decrease by its reading on leading U.S. economic indicators in the month of April. The Conference Board said its leading economic index fell by 0.6 percent in April after dipping by 0.3 percent in March. Economists had expected the index to decrease by another 0.3 percent.

With a surge in utilities output offset by decreases in mining and manufacturing output, the Federal Reserve released a report on Thursday showing U.S. industrial production came in flat in the month of April. The Fed said industrial production came in unchanged in April after inching up by a downwardly revised 0.1 percent in March.

Philadelphia-area manufacturing activity saw a notable slowdown in the pace of growth in the month of May, according to a report released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia on Thursday. The Philly Fed said its diffusion index for current general activity tumbled to 4.5 in May from 15.5 in April, although a positive reading still indicates growth.

In yesterday's market, the U.S. equity market took a breather after all three major indexes had risen more than 5% in May. All eyes are now on Nvidia’s earnings report due on Wednesday, which has the potential to spur the equity market further. In Asia, the Chinese stock markets also saw a retracement, with fresh data indicating that the property sector in China remains a significant concern.

The Dollar Index (DXY), a measure of the Greenback’s value against a basket of 6 major currencies, finished flat, at 104.50. Fed officials called for caution before moving to cut interest rates despite signs of cooling inflation.

geopolitical issues in Eastern Europe and the Middle East have intensified, driving safe-haven gold prices to all-time high levels.

The Dollar Index (DXY), which weighs the value of the Greenback against a basket of 6 major currencies, rebounded to 104.50 from 104.30 despite mixed US economic data.