Dollar gains after tepid US consumer prices report

The dollar edged higher on Tuesday after consumer price data showed inflation still rising but on a downward slope, in a widely anticipated reading that may lead the Federal Reserve to slow or even pause hiking interest rates next week.

The dollar index rose 0.106 percent, with the euro down 0.12 percent to $1.0716.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.4 percent last month after accelerating 0.5 percent in January, the Labor Department said on Tuesday. That lowered the year-on-year increase in the CPI to 6.0 percent in February, the smallest annual rise since September 2021. The CPI rose 6.4 percent in the 12 months through January.

 

Investors are mixed on whether rising inflation will push the Fed to hike rates again at its policy meeting next week after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank sparked turmoil in financial markets.