Has the US dollar had its day?

Soaring debt levels and the failure of America to manage the Covid-19 crisis is undermining trust in the world’s reserve currency. 

Has the “mighty greenback had its day”? asks Jonny Fry in City AM. Soaring debt levels and the failure of America to manage the Covid-19 crisis is undermining trust in the world’s reserve currency.

The ICE US dollar index, which compares the value of the greenback against a basket of other currencies, has advanced by just over 1% this year. The US dollar is considered a safe-haven asset, so its value surged during the market meltdown in March, only to retreat as the stock rally gathered pace.

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Markets editor

Alex is an investment writer who has been contributing to MoneyWeek since 2015. He has been the magazine’s markets editor since 2019. 

Alex has a passion for demystifying the often arcane world of finance for a general readership. While financial media tends to focus compulsively on the latest trend, the best opportunities can lie forgotten elsewhere. 

He is especially interested in European equities – where his fluent French helps him to cover the continent’s largest bourse – and emerging markets, where his experience living in Beijing, and conversational Chinese, prove useful. 

Hailing from Leeds, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford. He also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Manchester.