FOREX-Dollar edges lower, index on track for worst year since 2020

(Updated at 0945 EST) By Karen Brettell NEW YORK, Dec 26 (Reuters) - The dollar index edged lower on Tuesday as investors waited on fresh clues to when the Federal Reserve is likely to begin cutting interest rates as inflation falls closer to the U.S. central bank’s 2% annual target. Currency moves were muted the day after Christmas, however, as markets in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong, among others, were still out for a public holiday. Many U.S. traders are also out for holidays until the New Year. The greenback is on track to post its worst performance since 2020 against a basket of currencies as anticipation of Fed rate cuts dents the appeal of the U.S. currency relative to peers. Many analysts expect the U.S. economy to markedly slow in 2024, but the Fed is also expected to act to ensure that the gap between the fed funds rate and realized inflation doesn’t widen too far. If inflation falls much faster than the Fed’s benchmark rate it can tighten monetary conditions more than Fed policymakers intend and increase the risk of a hard economic landing. Data on Friday showed U.S. prices fell in November for the first in more than 3-1/2 years, pushing the annual increase in inflation further below 3% and boosting expectations of an interest rate cut in March. "The Fed has made considerable progress on inflation, as core started the year closer to an annual rate of 5%, though the job is not yet done in ensuring inflation is on a sustained trajectory toward its 2% target," Wells Fargo analysts said in a note. The dollar index was last down 0.04% on the day at 101.59. It has fallen from a 20-year high of 114.78 on Sept. 28 2022 and is pace for a yearly loss of around 1.84%. The euro was up 0.01% at $1.1024. The single currency has risen from a 20-year low of $0.9528 on Sept. 26, 2022 and is on track for a 2.90% gain this year. The dollar gained 0.02% against the yen to 142.42. The dollar reached a 32-year high of 151.94 yen on Oct. 24, 2022, and came close to reaching this level again last month, before the Japanese currency recovered. The dollar is on pace for a 8.63% gain this year. The yen has steadied near a recent five-month peak on the view that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) could soon mark an end to its ultra-easy policy. For most of 2022 and 2023, the policy has kept the Japanese currency under pressure as other major central banks embarked on aggressive rate-hike cycles. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Monday the likelihood of achieving the central bank's inflation target was "gradually rising" and it would consider changing policy if prospects of sustainably achieving the 2% target increase "sufficiently". In cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin fell 2.20% to $42,633. ======================================================== Currency bid prices at 9:45AM (1445 GMT) Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid Previous Change Session Dollar index 101.5900 101.6400 -0.04% -1.836% +101.7700 +101.5600 Euro/Dollar $1.1024 $1.1015 +0.01% +2.88% +$1.1028 +$1.1010 Dollar/Yen 142.4200 142.4050 +0.02% +8.63% +142.5150 +142.0900 Euro/Yen 157.01 156.85 +0.10% +11.91% +157.0100 +156.5900 Dollar/Swiss 0.8552 0.8555 -0.06% -7.53% +0.8579 +0.8546 Sterling/Dollar $1.2715 $1.2699 +0.08% +5.14% +$1.2718 +$1.2689 Dollar/Canadian 1.3206 1.3268 -0.38% -2.54% +1.3262 +1.3202 Aussie/Dollar $0.6812 $0.6799 +0.06% -0.07% +$0.6820 +$0.6799 Euro/Swiss 0.9427 0.9423 +0.04% -4.73% +0.9448 +0.9419 Euro/Sterling 0.8668 0.8672 -0.05% -1.99% +0.8684 +0.8669 NZ $0.6318 $0.6298 +0.19% -0.46% +$0.6326 +$0.6295 Dollar/Dollar Dollar/Norway 10.2000 10.2120 +0.02% +4.08% +10.2710 +10.2140 Euro/Norway 11.2498 11.2303 +0.17% +7.21% +11.3130 +11.2197 Dollar/Sweden 10.0379 10.0179 +0.45% -3.55% +10.0734 +9.9848 Euro/Sweden 11.0675 11.0175 +0.45% -0.74% +11.0935 +11.0100 ///// (Reporting By Karen Brettell; Additional reporting by Rae Wee in Singapore; Editing by Alistair Bell)