The US dollar started the new year on a negative note.

VTV.vn - The USD fell 0.1% in the first trading session of 2026, extending its weakening trend after a sharp depreciation in 2025.

The US dollar. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

In Asian trading on January 2nd, the US dollar marked a relatively weak start to 2026, continuing its slight decline of 0.1% from the previous session, after depreciating against most other currencies last year. Meanwhile, the yen stabilized near its lowest level in 10 months as traders awaited economic data this month to assess the interest rate trajectory.

The US dollar index, a measure of the value of the American currency against six other currencies, fell from 98.35 on December 31, 2025, to 98.243.

The narrowing interest rate differential between the US and other economies has cast a dark shadow over currency markets, causing most currencies to appreciate sharply against the USD in 2025, with the exception of the yen.

The euro stabilized at $1.1752/euro in the early hours of this session, after surging 13.5% by 2025, while the British pound traded at $1.3474/pound, after rising 7.7% over the past year. Both currencies have seen their strongest annual gains since 2017.

The yen traded at 156.74 yen/USD, after rising less than 1% against the greenback in 2025 and fluctuating near a 10-month low of 157.9 yen/USD in November 2025, a time when concerns about intervention from the Japanese government were rising.

The US dollar index is projected to fall 9.4% in 2025, its biggest drop in eight years, due to interest rate cuts, erratic trade policies, and concerns about the independence of the Federal Reserve under President Donald Trump's administration.

Economic data, including the US jobs report and unemployment figures, will be released next week and will form the basis for assessing the state of the labor market as well as the expected US interest rate level this year.

In the early months of the year, much of the attention will be focused on who Mr. Trump will choose to be the next Fed chairman, when the current chairman Jerome Powell's term ends in May 2026.

Source: https://vtv.vn/dong-usd-mo-dau-nam-moi-kem-tich-cuc-1002601021301467.htm