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:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

“Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” blared the cover of Bloomberg Businessweek less than a week after the US Dollar Index $DXY peaked last September.

Unbelievable timing.

We can’t make this stuff up!

While the DXY has undergone a significant correction since, the message is just as appropriate today as it was then.

The dollar can’t stop.

It’s ripping higher this morning, breaking to fresh six-month highs as it nears a key area of former resistance.

Those mounting breakouts and breakdowns favoring the USD from mid-August are sticking their moves. 

Have no fear, or "FOMO," if you missed any of those trades.

These next two dollar pairs offer well-defined entries using one of my favorite short-duration chart patterns…

The flag.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

King Dollar is bouncing around as we approach Labor Day.

Last week’s strength is evaporating.

Meanwhile, global currencies claw back recent losses as cryptocurrencies and gold’s crazy cousin, silver, enjoy a much-needed boost.

It’s no secret that risk assets like a weaker dollar! 

But let’s put the current action into perspective before we get ahead of ourselves.

Remember, a single session doesn’t constitute a trend.

But it could mark a critical turning point…

The US Dollar Index $DXY violated a year-to-date downtrend line last week, breaking above its June pivot high:

And it did so while posting its first overbought reading (14-day RSI above 70) since its peak last fall.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The US dollar sits atop the heap.

Major global currencies, including the Australian dollar, the New Zealand dollar, the Japanese yen, the Canadian dollar, and the Singapore dollar, are limping lower against the greenback.

The long list could grow in coming sessions as momentum builds behind a sustained USD advance.

While the evidence suggests we lean in that direction, I always prepare to take the other side of a trade if and when the data changes.

So, what’s the best way to play a falling dollar?

Before I share my favorite trade setup, let’s look at the US Dollar Index $DXY: 

DXY is finding resistance at the July pivot highs and a downtrend line originating with the March peak.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

When it rains, it pours.

Markets chop sideways most of the time. This has been the reality for forex markets for much of the year.

But that’s starting to change as numerous US dollar pairs reach new 10-month highs. The dollar is taking down crucial levels while the US Dollar Index $DXY retests a year-to-date downtrend line and key former highs.

The peculiar coincidence sets up some potentially critical resolutions for these USD pairs.

If they fail, the dollar rally is likely over. 

If they hold and additional USD breakouts materialize, selling pressure will intensify for many risk assets.

As of today, quite a few forex pairs are on the verge of supporting a sustained US dollar rally…

Let’s start with the second largest component of the DXY (13.6%), the US dollar-Japanese yen:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The US Dollar Index $DXY is the most important chart in the world, again.

But, honestly, when is it not?

There’s no hiding from King Dollar.

It’s true: Currencies are not considered one of the three major asset classes (bonds, stocks, and commodities).

Nevertheless, fluctuations in the US dollar impact every asset worldwide – especially stocks and commodities. 

And the probability of renewed headwinds for risk assets is increasing as the failed breakdown in the dollar could have legs…

Check out the triple-pane chart of the DXY, our G-10 currency index, and the US dollar advance-decline line:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Time seems to move faster during bull markets.

I have my theories, and they all revolve around having fun.

One thing is certain: The month of July is now behind us. 

I can’t believe we’re more than halfway through the year and a month into Q3!

Since it’s August 1, let’s keep the good time rolling by reviewing the most important monthly chart in the deck…

It's the US Dollar Index $DXY.

The US dollar acted as a Chief Headwind for Global Risk Assets last year, with a little help from the Fed.

All eyes are fixated on King Dollar as it straddles an area of former-resistance-turned-support:

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The US dollar isn’t going down without a fight.

Investors weren’t given much time to celebrate the breakdown as it quickly turned into a potential failed breakdown. 

Before we get ahead of ourselves, it could simply turn into a hard retest.

It happens all the time.

So let’s check the charts…

The US Dollar Index $DXY is trading back above a critical shelf of former lows:

As long as it’s above that level – let’s call it 101 – the odds of a failed move increase.

On the other hand, price could chop sideways for longer than anyone cares to believe.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The US Dollar Index’s $DXY break toward fresh lows resembles a defiant crawl more than an earnest march.

An image of dragging my children away from the toy aisle flashes across my mind.

(Actually, I let them walk around the store with their toy of choice. And then, we ditch the item before checkout after a couple rounds of negotiations. It works quite well – no screaming involved.) 

But while the DXY drags its feet, the individual currencies that comprise the index are picking up the pace. 

The Swiss franc is ripping. The euro is posting fresh 52-week highs. And the British pound is hitting our upside objective.

Our initial target for the pound marks a logical level of resistance.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The US Dollar Index $DXY has resumed its march toward fresh lows.

It took a less direct route, meandering sideways for the past seven months.

Nevertheless, our roadmap for a DXY breakdown has remained useful.

The EUR/USD is trading above 1.08. And commodity currencies are recapturing their July pivot lows from last summer. 

These are key developments that support further USD weakness, leading us toward today’s breakdown.  

Thanks to sellers taking control of the market, today’s session is offering another critical piece of confirming evidence…

An oversold reading on the 14-day RSI.

Notice DXY never registered an RSI print below 30, even during the strong selloff last fall.

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

First stop, Singapore!

Steve Strazza and Sean McLaughlin are headed east on a whirlwind tour of Asia.

I must admit, I’m a bit jealous. And I’m not the jealous type!

They’ll visit seven cities over the course of the next month, meeting traders and financial professionals from the tip of the Malay Peninsula all the way to Japan.

I can’t physically travel with them, but I can live vicariously through their stories and videos, and, of course, my charts…

Check out the US dollar/Singapore dollar pair:

It’s not a bad time for Strazza and Sean to be in Singapore with greenbacks in their pockets.

Sure, it’s well off its September 2022 highs.