USD is at its highest level in two decades

The US dollar settled at a two-decade high on Friday after global markets swept into a wave of risk-off, with traders expecting the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates by 100 basis points later this month.

Currencies seen as more vulnerable, including the Australian dollar and the British pound, have been pressured by a barrage of negative news in the last 24 hours which weighed on sentiment.

The dollar index, which measures the performance of the US currency against a basket of competing currencies, rose to its highest level since September 2002, exceeding 109, in light of the slow start of the US bank earnings season, the slowdown in China’s growth in the second quarter more than expected, and Italy facing a new political crisis.

The US currency is still on track for a third straight week of gains after traders raised their expectations that the Federal Reserve would go into a major tightening of monetary policy at its meeting on July 26-27 after data on Wednesday showed US consumer price inflation was rising. at the fastest pace in four decades.

Those expectations were dampened after Federal Reserve Board Chairman Christopher Waller and St. Louis Bank President James Bullard said they favored another 75 basis points increase this month, despite the inflation figures.

The euro settled at $1.0026, after falling from the breakeven point with the dollar on Thursday for a second day.

The single European currency fell to $0.9952 after Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi offered to resign, but the country’s president refused to accept it.

The Chinese yuan settled at a two-month low against the dollar and looks set for its biggest weekly decline since May, after weak data raised doubts about achieving this year’s economic growth target.