Restrictive monetary policy?

We are still in an uptrend at dxy. This trend could continue if Trump follows through on tariffs for a number of reasons. First, tariffs could rekindle inflation, leading the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates elevated, which could cause the dollar to strengthen. Secondly, tariffs could cause economic weakness in other countries, improving America’s relative strength, creating higher demand for the currency.

However, tariffs run the risk of dampening the U.S. economy, which could weigh on the dollar.

While Trump’s position on the dollar is contradictory—he wants it to maintain its dominance but advocates for competitive weakening to boost U.S. exports—all eyes will be watching if tariffs serve as bargain chips or materialize into new sweeping policies.

During President Trump's first term in office, we felt the sequencing of tax cuts (late 2017) and then tariffs (March 2018-August 2019) were key reasons for a strengthening dollar. In other words, the US economy had some fiscal support before tariff wars were waged.

Market participants expect the imposition of bulky tariffs would lead to a global trade war. Such a scenario will be inflationary for the US economy, which would force the Federal Reserve (Fed) to maintain a restrictive monetary policy stance for longer.