
Everyone is positioned for a weaker dollar and is talking about inflation, twin deficits, and long-term USD decline. But markets donāt move on long-term narratives always, rather sometimes they move on liquidity stress.
And right now, weāre entering a regime where USD demand can spike aggressively in the short term.
The key driver: Global USD shortage
With escalation in the Middle East and disruptions around key shipping routes (Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb), weāre likely entering the worst commodity shock regime in decades.
1)Energy prices surge ā oil, LNG, freight explode
2)Energy trade is priced and settled in USD
3)Importers (Europe, Asia) must secure dollars at any cost
This creates a mechanical USD bid, regardless of macro narratives. That may lead to margin calls = forced USD buying, and increased hedging FX exposure. This is where things go nonlinear.
1)Energy price spikes ā huge P&L stress across hedging books
2)Utilities, traders, corporates face margin calls
3)These are overwhelmingly USD-denominated
Result: forced USD buying into strength
Europe & Asia: Structural vulnerability
-Europe = energy importer, already fragile
-Asia (Japan, Korea, India) = even more exposed
-If Middle East flows are disrupted ā scramble for supply
Who fills the gap?
The US (LNG + energy exports)
Which implies:
More USD needed for trade settlement
More USD needed for collateral
But this isnāt just short-term ā 3 macro forces reinforce it
Even beyond the immediate funding squeeze, there are structural forces that can amplify USD strength:
1) USD = global reserve & funding currency
In stress regimes, everything converges to one reality:
the world is structurally short USD
Trade, debt, collateral ā all USD-based
In volatility ā global demand for USD spikes
Liquidity stress = USD strength
2) Europeās energy problem
Europe is a net energy importer
Higher energy prices = weaker growth + worse trade balance
US = energy exporter ā relative advantage
Commodity shocks hit EUR much harder than USD
3) Policy divergence risk
Even if markets expect a weaker USDā¦
Inflation risk from energy could keep the Fed tighter while ECB is constrained by weak growth, and If the Fed stays tighter for longer than expectedā capital flows favor USD
What this means for EUR/USD
Even if the *long-term* USD story is bearishā¦
Short term = liquidity dominates fundamentals
If energy keeps rising and volatility increases then funding stress builds and then EUR/USD accelerates lower.
My home takepoint
This is not about classic āUSD strengthā.
This is about:
A global USD squeeze (energy + collateral driven)
Amplified by structural macro imbalances
Thatās why Iām positioned for:
-Short-term USD strength
-EUR/USD downside acceleration
-Potential move toward 0.90 in a stress scenario
Nevertheless i believe, this is likely not permanent.
Once:
– Liquidity stabilizes
– Energy normalizes
– Policy reacts
The longer-term āweak USDā narrative can return.
But firstā¦Markets may need to break something.
