The US dollar is extending its gains in response to the strong US GDP figures. There are four elements of the report to note. First, the economy expanded by 4.0% in Q2, well above consensus expectations. Second, Q1 was revised to show a 2.1% contraction rather than 2.9%. Third, personal consumption improved to 2.5% from a revised 1.2% pace in Q1 (originally 1.0%). Fourth, and arguably even more significant that the growth itself is the core PCE deflator. It rose to 2.0% from 1.2%. On a year-over-year basis, the US economy expanded by 2.4%, which is close to what economists view as trend growth. Recall that the part ... (full story)