Investors are rightly paying attention to oil prices, China, and U.S. stocks. But they’ve largely overlooked the strong U.S. dollar and what it can and will do for their portfolios this year.
America’s currency is stronger and more attractive than it has been in more than a decade. The proof is in the U.S. Dollar Index DXY, -0.02% — which measures the greenback vs. a basket of other major currencies including the euro EURUSD, +0.1101% and Japanese yen USDJPY, +0.13% — is bumping up against yet another 52-week high, after appreciating another 5% or so in the last year.