3 Factors That Drive the U.S. Dollar (2024)

A country with a strong economy will attract investment from around the world. Investors will perceive safety and the ability to achieve an acceptable rate of return on investment. Since investors seek out the highest yield, an increase in investment, particularly from abroad, creates a strong capital account and a high demand for U.S. dollars.

Key Takeaways

  • The U.S. dollar has been a reserve currency for international trade and finance.
  • Like any other fiat currency, the dollar's value depends on the economic activity and outlook of the United States.
  • In addition to supply and demand and market factors, sentiment influences the dollar's value on the global market.

What Affects the Dollar's Value?

American consumption through imports of goods and services from other countries causes dollars to flow out of the country. If U.S. imports are higher than exports, the country will have a deficit in its current account.

With a strong economy, a country can attract foreign capital to offset the trade deficit. That allows the U.S. to continue its role as the consumption engine that fuels world economies, even though it's a debtor nation that borrows this money to consume. This also allows other countries to export to the U.S. and keep their economies growing.

When the dollar is traded, three factors can drive its value, including supply and demand, market sentiment, and technical market data.

3 Factors That Drive the U.S. Dollar (1)

1. Supply vs.Demand

When the U.S. exports products or services, it creates a demand for dollars because customers need to pay for goods and services in dollars. Global consumers convert local currency into dollars by selling their currency to buy dollars to make the payment.

When the government or American corporations issue bonds to raise capital and bonds are purchased by foreign investors, those payments are made in dollars. This also applies to the purchase of U.S. corporate stocks from non-U.S. investors, requiring foreign investors to sell their currency to buy dollars to purchase those stocks.

Safe Haven

A safe haven is an investment expected to retain or increase value during market turbulence. The U.S. dollar is considered a havenduring times of global economic uncertainty, so the demand for dollars often persists despite fluctuations in the performance of the U.S. economy.

2. Sentiment

When foreign investors buy back their local currency due to market turbulence, it dampens the dollar. Increasing unemployment may weaken the U.S. economy, and consumption may slow. The U.S. may face a dollar sell-off, where global investors return the cash from the sale of bonds or stocks to return to their local currency.

Investment banks and asset management firms analyze trends and often determine the general economic sentiment. Sentiment will often drive the market rather than the economic fundamentals of supply and demand.

3. Market Indicators

Traders gauge whether the supply of dollars will be greater or less than the demand. To help us determine this, they pay attention to news or events that may impact the dollar's value. This includes various government statistics, such as payroll data, GDP data,and other economic information.

Traders also review historical patterns generated by seasonal factors such as support and resistance levels and technical indicators. Many traders believe that these patterns are cyclical and can be used to predict future price movements.

What Causes the U.S. Dollar to Rise?

When demand for the dollar increases then so does its value. Conversely, if the demand decreases, so does the value. The demand for the dollar increases when international parties, such as foreign citizens, foreign central banks, or foreign financial institutions demand more dollars. Other factors that influence whether or not the dollar rises in value in comparison to another currency include inflation rates, trade deficits, and political stability.

What Factors Influence the Exchange Rate?

Factors that influence the exchange rate between currencies include currency reserve status, inflation, political stability, interest rates, speculation, trade deficits and surpluses, and public debt.

Can the U.S. Government Determine the Value of the Dollar?

The U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve cannot dictate the value of the U.S. dollar. The value is determined in foreign exchange markets. However, as the value shifts on the exchange, the movements help the Fed determine monetary policy.

The Bottom Line

Traders can follow the Dollar Index chart to see how the dollar fares against other currencies. A trader can develop a sense of the flow of dollars and form an insight on how best to select profitable trading positions by watching the patterns on the chart and listening to the major fundamental factors that affect supply and demand.

3 Factors That Drive the U.S. Dollar (2024)

FAQs

3 Factors That Drive the U.S. Dollar? ›

When the dollar is traded, three factors can drive its value, including supply and demand, market sentiment, and technical market data.

What drives the value of the US dollar? ›

A large number of factors influence currency value. Whether the U.S. dollar depreciates in relation to another currency depends on the monetary policies of both nations, trade balances, inflation rates, investor confidence, political stability, and reserve currency status.

What 3 factors affect the value of a country's currency? ›

Many factors may affect currency value, such as:
  • Interest Rates. Currencies of countries offering higher interest rates tend to increase in value, all else being equal. ...
  • Inflation. ...
  • Capital Flow. ...
  • Money Supply. ...
  • Fixed Exchange Rate. ...
  • Floating Exchange Rate.

What are the drivers of USD? ›

pressure indices, US monetary policy and risk sentiment are among the most important components (Miranda- Agrippino and Rey 2020, Goldberg and Krogstrup 2023, Goldberg 2023). 5Established drivers include debt denomination, direction of trade by country, and exchange rate regimes.

What drives a strong dollar? ›

What Causes the U.S. Dollar to Strengthen? Demand for U.S. dollars causes it to strenthen in relation to other currencies. The currency market experiences continual demand from banks, investors, and speculators.

What causes US dollar to rise or fall? ›

There are six fundamental factors that have an influence on the US dollar exchange rate. These include things such as economic performance, supply and demand of currency, inflation and geopolitical factors. More of these are detailed below.

What factors affect the US dollar index? ›

The main fundamental factors affecting the dollar index are:
  • The US trade deficit.
  • US, Japanese, Canadian, and European interest rates and bond yields.
  • CPI inflation.
  • Quarterly gross national product (GDP)
  • Nonfarm payroll figures.

What backs the US dollar? ›

Prior to 1971, the US dollar was backed by gold. Today, the dollar is backed by 2 things: the government's ability to generate revenues (via debt or taxes), and its authority to compel economic participants to transact in dollars.

What is the 3 strongest currency? ›

List of Highest Currencies in the World 2024
CurrencySymbolINR Value In Rs (As on May 2024)
Kuwaiti Dinar1 KWD272.01
Bahraini Dinar1 BHD222.42
Omani Rial1 OMR217.57
Jordanian Dinar1 JOD117.72
6 more rows

What is the weakest currency in the world? ›

What Is the Weakest Currency in the World? The weakest currency in the world is the Iranian rial (IRR). The USD to IRR operational rate of exchange is 371,992, meaning that one U.S. dollar equals 371,922 Iranian rials.

Why is USD most traded? ›

Major commodities such as oil are primarily bought and sold using U.S. dollars, and some major economies, including Saudi Arabia, still peg their currencies to the dollar. Factors that contribute to the dollar's dominance include its stable value, the size of the U.S. economy, and the United States' geopolitical heft.

Where is the US dollar the most? ›

Some of the countries where a dollar is worth the most money include Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Colombia. It's possible to exchange dollars for local currency in these countries at favorable exchange rates.

How many countries rely on the US dollar? ›

USD is used within the United States and its official territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, America Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Marina Islands). There are also eleven other countries which use the USD as their official currency. They include: Ecuador.

Which is the strongest currency in the world? ›

1. Kuwaiti dinar. Known as the strongest currency in the world, the Kuwaiti dinar or KWD was introduced in 1960 and was initially equivalent to one pound sterling. Kuwait is a small country that is nestled between Iraq and Saudi Arabia whose wealth has been driven largely by its large global exports of oil.

What is the strongest currency now? ›

The highest-valued currency in the world is the Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD). Since it was first introduced in 1960, the Kuwaiti dinar has consistently ranked as the world's most valuable currency. Kuwait's economic stability, driven by its oil reserves and tax-free system, contributes to the high demand for its currency.

Which currency is worth the most? ›

Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD)- Highest Currency in the World

The highest currency in the world is none other than Kuwaiti Dinar or KWD. Initially, one Kuwaiti dinar was worth one pound sterling when the Kuwaiti dinar was introduced in 1960. The currency code for Kuwaiti Dinar is KWD.

Why is the U.S. dollar so valuable in other countries? ›

It's the primary reserve currency for countries around the world, whether friendly and hostile. Dozens of countries around the world peg the value of their local tender to it. The dollar's dominance tracks with the ascent of the US as a global superpower following World War II.

Who decides the value of money? ›

The value of a currency, like any other asset, is determined by supply and demand. An increase in demand for a particular currency will increase the value of the currency, while an increase in supply will decrease the currency's value. The exchange rate is the value of one country's currency in relation to another.

What keeps the U.S. dollar stable? ›

Major commodities such as oil are primarily bought and sold using U.S. dollars, and some major economies, including Saudi Arabia, still peg their currencies to the dollar. Factors that contribute to the dollar's dominance include its stable value, the size of the U.S. economy, and the United States' geopolitical heft.

Why is the value of the dollar so strong? ›

Many investors see the dollar as the safest asset to hold when stock and bond markets turn volatile. That's partly because the dollar has a unique status as the world's "reserve currency." This means central banks and financial institutions around the world hold lots of dollars to use for international transactions.

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