The dollar's best monthly performance since November may prove fleeting as a slowing U.S. economy and falling short-term interest rates encourage investors to use the currency to fund investments in higher-yielding assets.

The U.S. currency's value will be unchanged from current levels by year-end, down from last month's predicted 2 percent appreciation, according to analyst forecasts compiled by Bloomberg. Bets remain tilted against the greenback even after last month's 2.3 percent gain in IntercontinentalExchange Inc.'s Dollar Index, Commodity Futures Trading Commission data show.

While the dollar gained against 14 of the 16 most-traded currencies in May, it fell last week after weaker-than-forecast reports on manufacturing, employment and consumer confidence led traders to raise bets that the Federal Reserve will keep rates near zero. Traders also found less reason to seek shelter in the currency as European officials agreed to provide more financial aid to Greece and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the European Union is committed to keeping the euro intact.

Continue Reading for Free

Register and gain access to:

  • Thought leadership on regulatory changes, economic trends, corporate success stories, and tactical solutions for treasurers, CFOs, risk managers, controllers, and other finance professionals
  • Informative weekly newsletter featuring news, analysis, real-world case studies, and other critical content
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical coverage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.