Citi Strategist: Post-Midterm Dollar Weakness Likely to Be Short-Lived

Citi strategist Daniel Tobon said dollar weakness after the U.S. midterm elections is likely to be short-lived, with market focus returning to the Federal Reserve’s rate outlook as new economic data arrive. According to Sina Finance, Tobon said bets that a divided government would prevent U.S. President Donald Trump from advancing his plans may last only briefly and could support the yen and Swiss franc. He said he would be cautious about concluding that Trump can do nothing, noting that Trump relies more on executive orders than Congress. Tobon said there had been no major changes beyond what markets had expected or priced in, and that attention would return to what the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank do next. He expects the European Central Bank to turn dovish before the Federal Reserve. Tobon said Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report is unlikely to contain data sufficient to prompt the Federal Reserve to change its current policy direction. He added that U.S. economic data had been solid so far and that he expects this to continue.