From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Bing Crosby dreamed of a White Christmas.

Who hasn’t?

Growing up, I wished for a white Christmas every year. I knew snow was a stretch living in Florida. But a kid can dream… 

This season, stock market bulls hope for quite a different, serene vision: a weaker dollar.

Based on the charts, they might just get their wish.

Check out the updated US Dollar Index $DXY chart:

DXY has respected key retracement levels on the way up and down over the past six months. The repeated touches add to my conviction in these levels.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Fiat money worldwide is sidelining the dollar.

Emerging market currencies were the first to strike. Now, their developed market counterparts have joined the fray.

The result: Global equities and precious metals are catching a bid.

After a challenging second half, perhaps the year's final weeks will be a layup for stock and forex traders.

And with the Australian and New Zealand dollars completing tactical reversals against the USD, the Canadian dollar could be next…

Check out Canadian dollar futures bouncing off support:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The dollar has gone from slinging cheese to lobbing cookies.

Sellers finally got ahold of the US Dollar Index $DXY on Tuesday, sending it on its steepest single-day decline since October 2022.

Recall what followed for the dollar…

The DXY formed a major top and fell victim to not one but two subsequent 1 percent-plus daily drawdowns. 

Check out the DXY chart with the one-day rate-of-change in the upper pane:

The DXY dropped almost 1.5% during Tuesday's session. That’s a huge move for a currency (with the exception of the Turkish lira and perhaps the Polish zloty).

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The US Dollar Index $DXY is still dealing like an old-school ace on the mound.

I don’t care what stock market bulls or technology investors want to believe.

The buck has been lights out since July.

And just because it found itself in a bit of trouble last week doesn’t mean it can’t retire the side…

The index pulled back to a key retracement level at approximately 105 on Friday:

Unsurprisingly, the dollar bore down at this critical area as it coincides with a logical support zone. 

But, when we take a closer look… 

Sellers are digging in, seeing the spin on the ball, with runners in scoring position.

Check out last week’s breakdown:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The Bank of Japan is loosening its grip on the Japanese benchmark yield.

And the dollar, the euro, and the pound are ripping to fresh highs versus the yen.

Yes, the USD/JPY is off to the races – again.

But where can we define the next logical upside objectives?

Let’s dive in…

Before tackling our targets for the dollar-yen pair, check out the Japanese 10-year yield:

The BoJ’s yield curve control policy has, in large part, capped the USD/JPY rate as traders and policymakers play a game of chicken. Traders drive the dollar-yen pair higher, challenging the Japanese central bank's hold on interest rates.

Meanwhile, the BoJ steps in with policy decisions supportive of the yen.   

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Economists, columnists, and pundits are calling for an economic recession and even the possibility of deflation. 

Yet the US dollar is consolidating above a critical support zone.

Nothing bearish about that!

In fact, it’s standard price behavior within an ongoing uptrend. 

Sure, the pundits might be right. But both scenarios involve a swift decline in the US dollar.

And that’s simply not what’s happening today.   

In fact, forex markets are providing new opportunities to buy US dollars and sell other major currencies…

Check out the EUR/USD pair pulling back to a logical resistance level:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The US Dollar Index $DXY is chopping smack-dab in the middle of a three-week range.

Currency markets are quiet. The euro, the pound, and the yen have all dialed back the volatility.

But there’s nothing wrong with the sideways action.

And in no way does it diminish the underlying uptrend for the dollar. 

In fact, the near-term trendless range makes sense in light of DXY’s recent run and the long-term support levels in play for major currencies.

Check out the DXY with the number of consecutive up weeks in the lower pane: 

Eleven weeks in a row! The index climbed higher for almost three straight months. 

A period of consolidation not only makes sense but politely adheres to the law of gravity.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Price doesn’t move in a straight line.

Just don’t tell the US dollar, which has managed to post positive gains for 11 straight weeks. 

But the US Dollar Index $DXY is sporting its deepest drawdown since mid-July – a mere 0.2% – as buyers catch their breath.

Five down days and counting have my attention, though it doesn’t shift my bullish bias for King Dollar.

Not yet!

Check out last week’s DXY candle:

Buyers drove prices higher over the course of last week only to succumb to selling pressure by Friday’s close. 

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The most important chart in the world is back in action!

A rising US dollar is generating increased selling pressure for risk assets and global currencies.

US Treasury bonds, stock indexes, and even commodities are catching lower.

Yet it’s nothing new for the top components of the US Dollar Index $DXY (the euro leads at 57.6%, followed by the yen at 13.6% and the pound at 11.9%).

New lows and broken support have become standard for these currencies. 

But King Dollar’s command is spreading to the more resilient pockets of the forex market, as fresh breakouts mount.

Here’s the US dollar-Canadian dollar pair breaking above a key retracement level to six-month highs following a litany of missed attempts:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

King Dollar is reclaiming its throne.

The US Dollar Index $DXY hit a new year-to-date high on Monday, punishing other global currencies.

The euro undercut its June pivot lows. The pound dropped for the fourth consecutive session. And the yen is well within reach of its lowest level since the summer of 1990.   

Other major currencies don’t stand a chance against USD strength.

If you can’t beat them, join them!

The Swiss franc might be the next to succumb to this old proverb as it prepares to bend the knee.

Check out the US dollar-Swiss franc pair pulling back after posting a new eight-year low:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Sellers beware! 

The US Dollar Index $DXY is kicking ass and taking names.

The dollar has ripped higher ever since the July failed breakdown.

It’s now challenging fresh six-month highs and a critical former resistance area. 

An upside resolution for King Dollar will undoubtedly pressure risk assets – not the ideal scenario for stock market bulls.

And the dollar rally has plenty of room to run if the DXY is a reliable indicator...

Check out the number of consecutive up-weeks in the lower pane of the US Dollar Index chart:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Equities like a deadstick dollar.

But stocks can’t always get what they want – or “like.” 

A swift 5 percent gain in the US Dollar Index $DXY was not on the S&P 500’s wish list.

Yet that’s what the dollar served up following its mid-July failed breakdown. 

Unsurprisingly, stocks have struggled since, peaking less than two weeks after the dollar posted its year-to-date low.

The DXY is now challenging a critical overhead supply level as dollar bulls have once again lowered their horns.

But will they finally hook 'em by the end of the week?

We’ll know if the DXY decisively closes above 105.

That’s the level: