The increasing divergence in global growth has led to a greater disparity in central bank policies worldwide. As a result, the gap between U.S. 10-year bond yields and those of its key trading partners has widened to its highest level since 1994.
The U.S. dollar has continued to defy gravity, rising 7% in 2024 despite two Fed rate cuts. While the DXY Index peaked in September 2022, the U.S. real broad effective exchange rate (REER), which measures the dollar’s value relative to a broad basket of currencies adjusted for inflation differentials, remains near all-time highs. Dollar strength is expected to stabilize or persist into 2025 for several reasons:
- Economic growth differentials: The U.S. economy is projected to grow by 2.7% in 2024, outpacing the 1.7% growth forecast for all developed markets. This is driven by superior productivity growth, higher business investment and fewer labor supply issues compared to other developed markets. Such robust growth, which has contributed to inflation remaining above 2%, may lead the Fed to halt rate cuts sooner than expected. This makes a dollar weakening unlikely in the short term.
- Monetary policy differentials: The increasing divergence in global growth has led to a greater disparity in central bank policies worldwide. As a result, the gap between U.S. 10-year bond yields and those of its key trading partners has widened to its highest level since 1994. These differentials may remain elevated, as markets are currently pricing in only a limited number of Fed cuts next year (44bps), compared to 110bps for the ECB and rate hikes of 47bps in Japan.
- Policy changes: The upcoming administration's focus on boosting domestic manufacturing, increasing tariffs and deregulating industries could spur business growth and sustain higher interest rates, supporting the dollar. President-elect Trump has also discussed imposing tariffs or other measures on countries that challenge the dollar's trade dominance or reserve currency status.
Even with the factors supporting the dollar, its ascent is unlikely to continue indefinitely. Currently, the dollar is two standard deviations above its 50-year average, suggesting limited room for further appreciation. Historically, the dollar has alternated between periods of strength and weakness, making a downturn likely at some point, though the timing is uncertain. Additionally, the U.S.'s persistent trade balance deficit, at 4.2% of GDP as of September 2024, poses a long-term constraint, highlighting a structural challenge that could eventually pressure the currency.
A strong dollar can hurt international company performance for U.S.-based investors. It can also negatively impact U.S. companies with significant international exposure and U.S. exports by making goods more expensive abroad. While a stronger dollar could bolster the 'U.S. exceptionalism' narrative in 2025, investors should carefully assess its potential impact on their portfolios.