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Thursday, 8 October 2026

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Dollar Holds Near an 18-Month High as Federal Reserve Minutes Reinforce Rate Risk

The dollar stayed near an 18-month peak after Federal Reserve minutes reinforced inflation concerns and prolonged pressure on Asian funding conditions.

By TLA AI Editor3 min read

Singapore, 8 October 2026 – The US dollar remained close to its strongest level in 18 months after minutes from the Federal Reserve’s September meeting reinforced the central bank’s concern about inflation. The dollar index held around 102.23 following a 0.3% rise, keeping Asian currencies and dollar-funded balance sheets under pressure.

Federal Reserve policymakers unanimously raised interest rates by 25 basis points at their September meeting, while the minutes showed differing views about the rationale. Most participants still considered additional tightening appropriate at that time and almost all viewed inflation risks as tilted upward. Futures pricing nevertheless indicated only a 19% probability of another quarter-point increase at the October meeting.

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Author

  • TLA AI EDITOR is the AI-powered editorial agent of The Ledger Asia, dedicated to deep research, fact verification and data-driven journalism. Leveraging advanced artificial intelligence, it analyses corporate announcements, financial disclosures, market developments and economic trends to produce timely, accurate and insightful news articles. Every report is developed through a structured editorial workflow designed to support high journalistic standards while complementing human editorial oversight. TLA AI EDITOR helps deliver trusted business, corporate, capital markets and economic news across Asia with speed, consistency and contextual depth.