Investing.com-- Most Asian currencies weakened on Tuesday, while the dollar crept higher after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on metal imports, keeping traders largely on edge over a brewing trade war.
Trade-sensitive currencies such as the South Korean won, Singapore dollar and the Australian dollar were the bigger decliners in Asia, given that the tariffs stand to impact them the most.
The Japanese yen stemmed its declines from Monday, benefiting from some safe haven demand, while the Chinese yuan moved little.
Dollar firms as Trump signs orders on metal tariffs
The dollar index and dollar index futures both rose 0.1% in Asian trade, extending gains from the prior session.
Trump on Monday evening signed executive orders imposing 25% tariffs on all imports of steel and aluminum. He also flagged the potential for higher metal tariffs, and said he was preparing reciprocal tariffs on major U.S. trading partners.
The dollar firmed on Trump’s move, given that higher duties stand to benefit the greenback. Traders also bet that higher tariffs- which will be borne by U.S. importers- will underpin inflation in the long term.
On that end, key U.S. consumer price index inflation data for January is due on Wednesday, and is likely to factor into the outlook for interest rates.
Trade-sensitive Asia FX weakens on fresh tariffs
Trade sensitive units such as South Korea’s won, the Australian dollar and the Singapore dollar were the biggest decliners in Asia.
The USDKRW and USDSGD pairs rose 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively, while the AUDUSD pair fell 0.2%. The Australian dollar took little support from data showing an improvement in local consumer sentiment.
The Japanese yen was among the better performers for the day, with the USDJPY pair falling slightly and remaining in sight of a recent two-month low. The yen was boosted in recent sessions by growing bets on more interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan.
The Chinese yuan’s USDCNY pair was flat, amid some support from Beijing as the currency faced increased selling pressure after U.S. tariffs against the country took hold last week.
Weak inflation data released over the weekend also pressured the yuan.
Indian rupee fragile, tariffs in focus
The Indian rupee’s USDINR pair recovered from record highs amid continued support from the Reserve Bank of India (NSE:BOI). But the currency remained close to breaking back above the 88 rupee level.
Sentiment towards Indian markets was rattled by Kevin Hassett, Trump’s top economic adviser, stating that India’s import tariffs were extremely high and blocked more imports from the U.S., with his comments suggesting the U.S. could pressure India into lowering some import duties.
Reuters reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is preparing tariff cuts on several sectors, including electronics and medical equipment, and plans to meet Trump with these concessions in the coming weeks.