FX
US Broad Dollar Index
A broad US dollar index, useful for reading dollar liquidity and global risk pressure.
At a glance
US Broad Dollar Index: latest value and prior change
As of 2026-05-22, US Broad Dollar Index is 119.3 idx. It is 0.08 idx lower than 119.4 idx on 2026-05-21.
Within the default comparison window of 1,000 observations from 2022-05-24 to 2026-05-22, the latest value is at the tie-adjusted 14th percentile. Available history covers 2016-01-04 to 2026-05-22 with 2,591 observations.
- Observed on
- Default comparison window
- 2022-05-24–2026-05-22
- Observations · observed cadence
- 1,000 · Daily
- Data source
- FRED
A high or low percentile does not by itself make the indicator positive, negative, or a buy or sell signal.
Time-series chart
US Broad Dollar Index
2016-01-04–2026-05-22
Long-history series are stored as real provider observations. Index, FX, VIX, and ratio charts use historical backfill where providers expose it; Korean investor flow and margin-credit feeds expand as stable historical endpoints become available.
Interpretation guide
The broad dollar index as the tide gauge of global liquidity
The US Broad Dollar Index is a trade-weighted average of the dollar against the currencies of America's major trading partners. Because it measures the dollar itself rather than any single pair, a rising index means the dollar is strengthening against the world as a whole. It is one of the cleanest reads on emerging-market pressure and the direction of global liquidity.
Why trade weighting matters
Unlike the traditional dollar index, which is dominated by the euro, the broad index includes the yuan, the Mexican peso, the won, and other emerging-market currencies at meaningful weights. That makes it closer to the dollar's real-world strength against the economies the US actually trades with.
- A rising index raises the repayment burden on emerging-market borrowers with dollar-denominated debt.
- Falling-index phases tend to coincide with liquidity flowing toward risk assets and EM markets.
- The index can climb even with EUR/USD flat if Asian currencies weaken as a group.
A trend indicator, not a daily signal
Direction over weeks and months matters far more than any single session. Markets can absorb gradual dollar strength, but history shows that fast, steep advances in this index tend to surface funding stress somewhere in the global system.
- Repeated multi-month highs are a headwind flag for EM equities and commodities.
- A flattening slope or a lower high can be an early sign that pressure on risk assets is easing.
- A sharp index rise alongside surging US yields marks a global tightening shock worth extra caution.
How a Korea-focused investor uses it
Korea is an open economy inside the EM currency basket, so this index, USD/KRW, and foreign net buying often move as one package. Overlaying it with KOSPI, USD/KRW, and VIX on TapeFlow helps separate global dollar strength from Korea-specific weakness.
- If the broad index and USD/KRW rise together, treat it as a global dollar phase and prioritize external gauges.
- If USD/KRW climbs while the broad index is flat, examine domestic flows or Korea-specific risk.
- A downturn in the index paired with returning foreign net buying may mark the start of an EM inflow cycle.