A new chart showing the US dollar’s crashing value has surfaced online, raising concerns. The viral chart reflects widespread economic uncertainty across the United States.
The US dollar index measures the US dollar's value relative to the currencies of its most significant trading partners, including the euro (EUR), Japanese yen (JPY), Canadian dollar (CAD), British pound sterling (GBP), Swedish krona (SEK), and Swiss franc (CHF). The index can reveal the dollar’s value and how it could impact prices, imports and exports, and the larger economy as a whole.
New chart raises concerns
The chart was shared on X on Sunday, January 25, by market data outlet Barchart. It shows the US dollar’s value from January 20 to January 25. One can see the index falling from around 99.10 to 97.14.
The X account @TheMaineWonk shared the chart, writing, “Watching the dollar die in real time. Gee, whose policies of the last year are to blame for this?”
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{{/usCountry}}Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also reposted the chart, writing, "Ouch."
What are experts saying?
According to financial experts, the decline indicates a broader shift toward lower buying power for several Americans.
“It’s an incredibly worrying trend. The dollar’s rapid decline translates to less buying power for Americans,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek. “Even more troubling are the long-term consequences if other countries start to view the dollar as an unstable currency.”
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The US dollar declined by more than 10 percent in just the first six months of Donald Trump's second term as president, the outlet reported.
"The dollar is depreciating because global investors are less confident in the United States providing stable policies geared toward macroeconomic growth and a strong financial system," Ryan Monarch, a professor of economics at Syracuse University, previously told Newsweek. "Recent policies such as extremely high tariffs, increased government debt, and worries about inflation have all contributed to the falling dollar."
A weaker US dollar generally means import costs will be higher and price inflation greater. It could also be difficult for Americans to travel abroad, since the US dollar buys fewer units of other local currencies.
Drew Powers, the founder of Illinois-based Powers Financial Group, told Newsweek, “The relative value of a U.S. dollar is constantly fluctuating for any number of reasons. While the downswing over the past 10-12 months is large, it is not out of the range of normal. The concerning part of this downswing is because it seems to be centered more around political instability and less around other opportunities for investment.”