US dollar news this week: what moves the dollar
US dollar news for 2 to 6 November 2026: the Federal Reserve's target range is 3.75 to 4.00%, its next decision is on Wednesday 9 December and this week's calendar has one high-impact event for the USD.
The US dollar is set against the rest by one bank, the Federal Reserve (Fed), and by the things that bank has to react to. Here is the rate it has set, what it is aiming at, the releases that move this currency and what is on the calendar this week.
By Mike, founder of MacroSetup. Page updated . Rate and calendar as the research last recorded them, 6 November 2026, 21:12 Amsterdam time.
US dollar news this week in short
- Central bank
- Federal Reserve (Fed)
- Policy rate
- 3.75 to 4.00%
- What the bank targets
- Maximum employment and stable prices, with inflation at 2% over the longer run
The three things that move it
- 1The Federal Reserve has two jobs at once, so both the inflation figure and the jobs report can take over in the same month.
- 2It is the currency the world borrows in, which is why it can rise on bad American news when markets turn cautious.
- 3Rate expectations move it more than the rate itself: what the market thinks the Fed will do next year is the price you are trading.
The world's main reserve currency. Tends to gain when markets turn cautious. Is it still a safe haven?
On the calendar this week
- Fri 14:30US jobs report
Times in Amsterdam. The whole week for all eight is on the calendar page.
Every release that moves the US dollar
What each one is, when it comes out, which line the market reads first, and what the USD did on the last release days.
- US CPIHigh impactWhat US CPI measures, when it comes out, which line the market reads first and why the dollar cares, with the dollar's own move on the last release days.
- Fed rate decisionHigh impactWhen the Fed decides, what the statement, the dot plot and the press conference each add, and why the dollar often moves on the words rather than the rate.
- US PCE inflationHigh impactPCE is the inflation measure the Fed's 2% target is set on. What it covers, how it differs from CPI, when it comes out and why core PCE is the line to watch.
- US retail salesHigh impactUS retail sales is the first hard number on what Americans spent last month. What is in it, when it comes out and which line moves the dollar the most.
- US GDPHigh impactWhat US GDP measures, why it comes in three estimates, how to read the annual rate, and why the dollar reacts strongly to some GDP days and shrugs at others.
- Jackson Hole symposiumHigh impactWhat the Jackson Hole symposium is, why the Fed Chair's Friday speech in late August is watched so closely, when it starts in Europe, and how to read it.
- FOMC minutesThree weeks after each Fed decision, the minutes show how the debate behind it went. When they come out, how to read them and which words make the dollar move.
- US PPIWhat the US producer price index measures, when it comes out, which line traders read first, and why parts of it feed into the Fed's preferred inflation gauge.
- US jobless claimsEvery Thursday the US counts new claims for unemployment benefits. What initial and continuing claims show, when they come out and when the dollar cares.
- JOLTS job openingsJOLTS counts US job openings, hires, quits and layoffs. What each line says about the jobs market, when the report comes out and why the dollar watches it.
- ISM manufacturing PMIWhat the ISM manufacturing PMI measures, why 50 is the line that matters, which parts traders read after the headline and what a surprise does to the dollar.
- ISM services PMIWhat the ISM services PMI covers, how it differs from the factory survey, why its prices line can move the dollar on its own, and when it comes out each month.
- US flash PMIWhat the S&P Global US flash PMI measures, why it comes out before the month is over, how it differs from ISM, and which line the dollar reacts to first.
- US consumer confidenceWhat the Conference Board's US consumer confidence index measures, why the jobs question inside it is read so closely, and when it comes out each month.
- Michigan consumer sentimentWhat the University of Michigan sentiment survey asks, why its inflation expectations can move the dollar, and how the preliminary and final readings differ.
- US durable goods ordersWhat US durable goods orders measure, why aircraft make the headline jump around, which line is read for business investment, and when the report comes out.
- US jobs reportHigh impactNon-farm payrolls: what is in the report, which part the market reads first and why the revisions matter.
Sources
The rate, the target and the meeting dates come from the Federal Reserve (Fed) itself: Federal Reserve, Federal Open Market Committee; Federal Reserve, FOMC meeting calendars. The rate is the one the research last recorded from the bank.
The releases above are published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; U.S. Census Bureau; Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City; U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration; Institute for Supply Management; S&P Global; The Conference Board; University of Michigan, Surveys of Consumers. Each release page names its own sources.
The other seven
A currency is only strong or weak against another one, so the page next door matters as much as this one.
- EUR Euro
- JPY Japanese yen
- GBP British pound
- CHF Swiss franc
- AUD Australian dollar
- NZD New Zealand dollar
- CAD Canadian dollar
What the rate gap between two of them pays is on the rate differentials page, and how a pair is scored from two currencies is on the fundamental bias page.
Questions about the US dollar
What moves the US dollar?
What the Federal Reserve (Fed) does and is expected to do, the releases that bank steers by, the mood of the wider market, and anything political big enough to be priced. A currency only moves against another one, so the same questions apply to the other side of the pair.
Which central bank sets the USD rate, and what is it aiming at?
The Federal Reserve (Fed). It has two goals: maximum employment and stable prices, with inflation at 2% over the longer run. A release matters most when it speaks to that goal.
Where can I see the current USD policy rate?
3.75 to 4.00%, as the research last recorded it. You will find it in the "In short" table of this page, next to the date of the next scheduled meeting, and beside the other seven rates on our rate differentials page. Both follow the research, so a decision shows up on the day it is made. All eight rates
Do you publish a USD forecast?
No. We publish a reading of now: how the currency scores against the other seven today and why, rewritten when the news changes. Nobody here will tell you where a currency will be next month. How past calls turned out