• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Exclusive

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

Finance

Why the World’s Biggest Forex Investors Still Love the Dollar

By
Geoffrey Smith
Geoffrey Smith
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Geoffrey Smith
Geoffrey Smith
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 4, 2017, 1:23 PM ET

President Donald Trump has a problem with the dollar: On the one hand he’s complaining about how its strength is “killing” U.S. companies by making it easier for foreign competitors to undercut them; on the other hand, he’s making the dollar more attractive to invest in.

Fresh evidence of that comes from a survey of some of the world’s biggest currency investors, the men and women who manage trillions of dollars of official foreign exchange reserves at the world’s central banks. Some 84% of respondents told the magazine Central Banking that they thought the dollar was more attractive now than it was 12 months ago. Of all the currencies tracked by the survey, only the Australian dollar (with 65%) came close.

For most, it’s simply a question of the income that dollar investments can generate. The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates at least three times this year, raising the returns on safe investments like Treasury and agency bonds that are prized by risk-averse professional investors like central banks. Some also bought into the argument that Trump’s deregulation agenda would lead to faster growth and even higher returns in the medium term.

But many still remain cautious, mindful perhaps of Trump’s talk before the election about maybe not honoring federal debt in the future. Some thought that could, over time, threaten the dollar’s dominant position as the world’s reserve currency.

“If a dollar holder were to be exposed to further surprises and 180 degree turns from U.S. leaders, even if positive for the U.S., they may become fed up with constant fear of what happens and will spread the ‘core currency’ function out among more currencies,” one respondent was quoted as saying. “Holding reserves means holding safe currencies to fight other risks, not accumulating risks. Instead of waking up every morning with the stress: ‘Damn, what has happened again with my riskless currency?’, I would rather share the dollar’s burden of being the safe haven by promoting other currencies.”

Admittedly, “the world’s most attractive reserve currency” is an easy title to win this year. The euro and yen, the world’s second- and third-largest reserve currencies, are firmly out of fashion due to the negative interest rates of the European Central Bank and Bank of Japan. Emerging markets have big debts to repay, and their central banks need their investments to generate income.

Just as serious for the euro is the threat from a series of high-risk political events this year. The biggest of these is by far the French presidential election which may result in a victory for far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Le Pen has threatened to pull France, the Eurozone’s second-largest economy, out of the EU’s monetary union.

Oddly enough, there was more support for the British pound than for the euro, despite the sharp, short-term drop it has suffered since the U.K.’s vote to leave the EU last June.

“We hold (sterling) not only based on expected returns considerations,” one respondent said. “We also consider the high credit quality of the country, the liquidity of the (government bond) market and the diversification benefits of holding (sterling).”

Diversification of risk – not putting all your eggs in one basket – is usually viewed as sound strategy for any investor, but for professionals it has become increasingly important after the painful lessons of 2008/2009, when almost all financial markets collapsed in parallel.

One currency that most still don’t want to go near is China’s renminbi. The survey showed that reserve managers are still put off by the country’s capital controls, and by the fact that the strength of its credit system hasn’t really been tested – all the more worrying against the backdrop of a giddying rise in debt relative to GDP in China since 2008. Most of the managers surveyed didn’t think the renminbi would account for even 10% of world reserves for another decade.

That suggests that most investors see the U.S., rather than China, as the engine of the world economy for some time yet. It’s a point that won’t be lost in Mar-a-Lago later this week.

About the Author
By Geoffrey Smith
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Google’s I/O conference showed how the company is being completely rebuilt for AI—for better or for worse
Big TechGoogle
Google’s I/O conference showed how the company is being completely rebuilt for AI—for better or for worse
By Alexei Oreskovic and Sharon GoldmanMay 19, 2026
6 hours ago
Why the 137-year-old developer Hongkong Land is reinventing itself—and trying to broaden its focus beyond its home city
AsiaHong Kong
Why the 137-year-old developer Hongkong Land is reinventing itself—and trying to broaden its focus beyond its home city
By Nicholas GordonMay 19, 2026
7 hours ago
Svenja Gudell, Chief Economist, Indeed
SuccessFortune Workplace Innovation
Indeed chief economist says the sectors most exposed to AI are seeing a big growth in job demand
By Emma BurleighMay 19, 2026
8 hours ago
The 30-year yield hasn’t been this high since the Great Recession. Do the bond vigilantes ride again?
EconomyBonds
The 30-year yield hasn’t been this high since the Great Recession. Do the bond vigilantes ride again?
By Eva RoytburgMay 19, 2026
8 hours ago
traffic
Future of WorkJobs
Goldman Sachs: The U.S. labor market is healthier now than when ChatGPT launched. Yes, really
By Nick LichtenbergMay 19, 2026
10 hours ago
Customer paying for order of cheese in grocery shop.
Personal Financeshopping
Buy now, pay later is the new financial lifeline for lower-income Americans, as consumer loans pile up to $19 trillion
By Tristan BoveMay 19, 2026
11 hours ago

Most Popular

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
7 days ago
While Trump insisted the Iran war would end ‘soon,’ an account in his name was buying millions in oil, defense, and gold
Economy
While Trump insisted the Iran war would end ‘soon,’ an account in his name was buying millions in oil, defense, and gold
By Eva RoytburgMay 18, 2026
1 day ago
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’: 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’: 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
7 hours ago
Employers are quietly pausing 401(k) matches again. The last time this happened was the 2008 recession and Covid
Personal Finance
Employers are quietly pausing 401(k) matches again. The last time this happened was the 2008 recession and Covid
By Courtney Vinopal and HR BrewMay 18, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, May 18, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, May 18, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 18, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 19, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 19, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 19, 2026
15 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.