Venezuela Military Intervention and USD Weakness Amid Oil & Geopolitics Dynamics

Over the past 48 hours, Venezuela's military intervention failed to boost USD strength, with the dollar maintaining a positive tone despite geopolitical escalation. This reflects ongoing structural factors influencing currency markets, including macroeconomic policy and trade regime shifts.

The USD Index (DXY) traded between 98.72 and 98.83, breaking the downtrend channel from late November lows, with bulls testing resistance at 98.80, despite the geopolitical shock from Venezuela. The dollar's technical recovery contrasts with its broader depreciation trend.

Since late November, the USD has depreciated by approximately 2.5%, contributing to a 9% decline for 2025—the steepest annual loss in eight years. This decline is driven by policy uncertainty and tariff concerns, which outweigh safe-haven demand stemming from geopolitical tensions.

Analysts forecast a 2026 DXY range of 88.00 to 90.00, indicating an 8–10% depreciation over the year, despite Venezuela tensions. The structural easing cycle by the Federal Reserve and trade policy uncertainty are the primary influences on the dollar’s trajectory.

Fed rate cut expectations remain at 2–3 cuts for 2026, driven by labor market deterioration with unemployment at 4.6% and U-6 at 8.7%. Monetary policy divergence appears to weaken the dollar more significantly than geopolitical shocks, including Venezuela’s military actions.

The dataset does not specify margin levels or liquidity breakdowns related to USD trading, and forward guidance beyond these figures is not included.