US Dollar Index Holds Above 102, Near Its 18-Month High, With All Eyes on Wednesday's Inflation Data

According to Trading Economics, the US Dollar Index (DXY) rose 0.37 percent from the previous session to about 102.6 on Monday, 20 Mehr 1405 (October 12, 2026), staying near its highest level since April 2025. The index has strengthened 3.22 percent over the past month. Trading Economics ties the dollar's strength to escalating tensions in West Asia, including Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and to the wait for US inflation data. Arzdigital wrote the same morning that the index, after a rise of nearly 2 percent in September, was in the 102.2 area.

The US consumer price index (CPI) report is due on Wednesday, 22 Mehr (October 14), with producer prices also due this week. The Federal Reserve raised its rate to a range of 3.75 to 4 percent at its September meeting, the first hike since 2023. The market mostly expects rates to stay unchanged at the October 28 meeting; Arzdigital, citing the FedWatch tool, puts the odds of a hold at 82.8 percent, while Trading Economics says markets are pricing another hike in December. Barclays analysts, as quoted by Arzdigital, argue that a softer-than-expected inflation print would raise the chance of a pause in the dollar's climb and a short-term pullback.

For Iranian markets, a stronger global dollar usually weighs on the gold ounce price and on crypto, although Arzdigital notes the link is not constant: in September bitcoin rose 6.14 percent even as the dollar strengthened.