After developments over the weekend, the lost momentum and slipped back below the 99.3 resistance level. Despite rising geopolitical headlines, the usual safe-haven bid for the US dollar failed to materialize. Instead, traders locked in profits and rebalanced positions.
One reason is that much of the current geopolitical stress is now seen as US-driven political risk. That has reduced the US dollar’s appeal during risk-off moves. At the same time, short-term technicals show the DXY moving into overbought territory, reinforcing the case for a pullback regardless of the news flow.
In theory, issues such as tariffs, the risk of EU retaliation, and tensions in the Middle East should have supported the US dollar at the start of the week. In practice, safe-haven flows spread elsewhere. Investors favored gold and traditional havens like the yen and Swiss franc rather than defaulting to the US dollar. As a result, the DXY failed to break higher and once again stalled near the 99.3 resistance area.
If market stress is increasingly seen as coming from US trade and political decisions, the US dollar’s safe-haven appeal may weaken further, adding to the loss of momentum in the DXY. The pause visible on the daily chart suggests that this shift in perception could gain traction in the near term.
Data Flow Supporting US Dollar, but Pricing Is Saturated
Over the past 48 hours, the US macro picture has become more balanced. Inflation indicators and signals from the point to no quick shift toward easier policy, while also show no clear signs of a sharp slowdown. At the same time, comments from Fed officials suggest a conditional approach rather than a unified hawkish stance.
Under normal circumstances, this backdrop would support the DXY. However, much of this outlook had already been reflected in the US dollar’s recent rise, which limits its ability to extend gains.
At this stage, US pricing is being driven less by whether the Fed moves next and more by when the first interest rate cut is likely to arrive. Markets broadly accept that the Fed will wait for clearer evidence of a sustained slowdown in before easing. Since a large part of that expectation was already priced in during the US dollar’s recent rally, upside momentum has faded.
As a result, the pullback seen at the start of the week reflects more than geopolitical headlines. It also points to position trimming and profit-taking after the US dollar’s short rally, as the market shifts into a wait-and-see mode driven by incoming data.
Correction or New Trend?
US data releases such as the and this week, along with fresh comments from Fed officials, are likely to shape the near-term direction of the DXY. If the data show that economic activity remains solid and inflation pressures persist, the US dollar’s interest rate advantage could come back into focus and support a rebound in the index.
On the other hand, clearer signs of cooling growth and easing price pressures could pull forward expectations for rate cuts, reducing the US dollar’s yield support and extending the current pullback in the DXY.
This creates a delicate balance. The US dollar’s next move will depend less on individual headlines or single data points and more on how the full set of information fits together.
That same backdrop makes certain technical levels more important in the short term. With geopolitical headlines mixing with concerns about US-driven risk and investors choosing to defend existing US dollar positions rather than add new exposure, the DXY has become more sensitive to key support and resistance zones.
Whether the recent pullback turns into a routine pause or develops into a broader correction will depend on how the index behaves around those levels and what short-term momentum indicators signal next.
Technical Outlook
The DXY chart shows the index has been trading within a broad range for some time. The key resistance remains at 100.21, which marks the ceiling of recent upside attempts. Unless the index can hold above this level, any rallies are likely to stay within the existing range rather than signal a true trend reversal.
In the short term, another resistance area has formed near 99.30. As long as the DXY stays below this level, upside remains capped. A clean break above 99.30 would increase the chances of another move toward 100.21.
On the downside, the first layer of support sits around 99, where several short-term exponential moving averages are clustered. Holding above this area suggests the pullback remains orderly. A break below this support would point to growing downside pressure and could lead to a sharper sell-off.
The next support area on the daily chart sits between 98.35 and 98.65, which aligns with the 0.144 Fibonacci level. If the correction deepens, this zone becomes an important area to watch. A decisive break below it would expose 97.70 and potentially 96.70, which marks the lower boundary of the broader trading range.
Momentum indicators also point to short-term fatigue. The Stochastic RSI remains flat near the upper end of its range. This suggests upside interest has not disappeared, but momentum has cooled, and the index is vulnerable to a pullback. From a technical standpoint, the healthiest near-term outcome would be for the index to hold above 99 and make another attempt toward the 99.30 resistance area. A weaker scenario would involve a slide toward the 98.65 support zone.
Overall, recent developments have dampened upside momentum rather than reinforcing a new uptrend in the DXY. That said, the broader technical structure remains intact. As long as the index holds above its short-term averages, the current move can still be viewed as a constructive pause rather than the start of a deeper decline.
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Disclaimer: This article is written for informational purposes only. It does not intend to encourage the purchase of any asset and does not constitute a solicitation, offer, recommendation, or advice to invest. I would like to remind you that all assets are evaluated from multiple perspectives and are highly risky, and therefore any investment decision and the associated risk belong to the investor. Additionally, we do not offer any investment advisory services.