Today, the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s decision to keep all three parameters of the SGD NEER policy band unchanged was largely expected, DBS’ FX analyst Philip Wee notes.

USD/SGD to trade lower on a lower DXY range

“The negative output gap is expected to close in 2H24 from this year’s GDP growth coming around the upper end of the official 2-3% forecast range. Advance GDP growth expanded at a better-than-expected 4.1% YoY in 3Q24 vs. the consensus for a rise to 3.8% from 2.8% in 2Q24.”

“The MAS forecasted core inflation to decline from 2.3% in July-August to 2% by the end of 2024 before entering a 1.5-2.5% range in 2025. USD/SGD should continue to take its cue from the currencies of its major trading partners.”

“Our view remains that USD/SGD will trade lower in a 1.25-1.30 range on a lower DXY range of 95-100 driven by another 200 bps of Fed cuts to 3% from now to next year.”