New York — The dollar weakened on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump slammed the Federal Reserve for raising interest rates, while global equity markets rose as strong economic and earnings growth favoured stocks in a relatively benign environment. Wall Street shares rose, following stock market gains worldwide, with the benchmark S&P 500 edging closer to an all-time high. Trump said in an interview with Reuters on Monday that he was "not thrilled" with the Fed under his appointee, chair Jerome Powell, for raising rates and that the US central bank should do more to boost the economy. Trump also accused China and Europe of manipulating their currencies. The euro is down about 3.8% so far this year against the dollar, while the Chinese yuan has slipped 5.1% this year against the greenback. "It would appear that Mr Trump would like to keep the dollar a little on the weak side in order to remain competitive," said CMC Markets chief markets analyst David Madden. The dollar index, w...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.