Shorting the Dollar Is Also Proving Uncomfortable at the Moment

  • Greenback defies bears with first monthly gain since September
  • Positioning data shows speculators continuing to short dollar
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

It’s a tough time to be holding onto a short position, and not just for equity investors caught out by Reddit-fueled price surges.

In the currency market, one of the big consensus calls for 2021 has had a rough January, with the U.S. dollar defying expectations for it to extend its decline -- at least for now. The Bloomberg dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of major peers, is up 0.9% since the end of 2020 and on course for only its second monthly gain since the coronavirus pandemic rocked markets back in March.