The Jamaican dollar closed below the J$130 to the US dollar on Thursday, with the selling rate to buyers ending at an average of $129.62. The rate fell as National Commercial Bank bought just US$6.2 million and sold $14.8 million while JN Bank offloaded US$5.3 million while buying a mere $190,000.
On Wednesday, Scotiabank offloaded nearly US$23 million against buying $13.6 million. For the week to date, dealers bought US$182 million and sold US$204 million. In the previous full week, purchases amounted to $192 million and selling $188 million. With one more day of trading to come for this week, inflows will be well ahead of last weeks’ level which included purchases of US$10 from Bank of Jamaica (BOJ). No sale of foreign exchange was done by the central bank this week, and none are planned for the next four weeks. BOJ sold US$19 million to the market up to November 15 last year.
For the current week dealers also bought 5.9 million of Pound sterling and sold 3.4 million and purchased $21.2 million Canadian dollars and sold $18.9 million.
In 2017, for the first four days of the fourth week of October, purchases of all dealers and Cambios amounted to $196 million which including purchases from BOJ of US$10 million with sales of US$179 million.
Jamaican$ plunges below $134 to US$1
In another day of buoyant foreign exchange trading, the Jamaican dollar pushed below the $134 mark for one US dollar at the close of the market on Friday.
Dealers bought US$48.8 million at an average rate of $132.914 and sold US$46 million at $133.80 bettering the closing rate on Thursday of $134.02 for the $40.32 million sold and a bit higher than the $132.88 for the US$30.92 Million bought by dealers.
Overall the market had US$56.6 million of inflows of all currencies and US$53.17 million of sales on Friday compared to the buying of US$45.26 and the selling of US$44.58 million of all currencies.
Friday’s rate is the lowest since July 24, when it averaged $134.05 with July 23 just below at $133.39. The local dollar slipped to its lowest level ever on August 23, this year at $137.96
J$ rate could make more gains
The rate of exchange for the Jamaican dollar versus the US dollar could fall below the J$134 mark at the close of trading on Thursday for the first time since the early summer.
At mid-day on Thursday, the average rate for selling US dollar, declined to J$133.999 for one US dollar, down from $134.25 on Wednesday, $134.43 on Tuesday and $134.51 on Monday.
In Thursday trading, at mid-day, dealers bought $14 million in United States dollars and sold $12 million while they bought Can$ 15 million and sold just $4 million. That compares with Can$ 5 million being purchased on Wednesday and selling of Can$11 million.
The softening in the rate for the US dollar comes from the Bank of Jamaica’s weekly intervention into the market, by a scheduled sale of US$10 million on Wednesday.
BOJ next scheduled sale is US$10 million each on 10th and 17th of October with none planned on October 24.
Jamaican dollar gains
Dealers in the foreign market bought US$36.76 million in US currency at an average rate of J$132.05, down $1.24 from Tuesday’s rate of $133.29.
The selling rate for the US dollar declined from J$134.05 on Tuesday as US$50.77 million was sold at an average rate of J$133.60 including US$5 million sold to Bank of Jamaica in the B-FXITT Standard Intervention Tool – buy operation, at an average J$133.65. At mid-day on Wednesday the average selling rate was $133.49 with only US$12.3 million then sold.
Overall foreign currencies purchased by dealers amounted to US$41.44 million, while selling accounted for $58 million for a net outflow of just under US$17 million. On Tuesday, net inflows of US$14 million came into the market, but for the US dollar currency, net inflows amounted to US$17 million.
For the next four weeks, the central bank will buy US$5 on Wednesday July 31 and August 8 and will sell $10 million to the market on August 19.
BOJ buys $5m at J$133.65
The rate Bank of Jamaica paid on Wednesday, July 25 to purchase US$5 million in the B-FXITT Standard Intervention Tool – buy operation average J$133.65.
Eligible dealers placed bids to buy only $5.5 million with the highest priced offer at 137.24 to sell $200,000 and the lowest at $126 for $200,000. BOJ purchased funds as high as $137.10 amounting 40 percent of the amount offered while the amount of $350,000 that was offered at $137 was fully taken up. Eligible Offers were received from 19 sellers while 18 had funds bought.
The central bank will buy US$5 on Wednesday July 31 and August 8 and will sell $10 million to the market on August 19.
Jamaican Dollar falls to $134.05 to US$
Foreign exchange dealers bought the equivalent of $66 million and sold US$51 million on Tuesday with the United states dollar accounting for US$60.4 million of the purchased amount and US$43.6 million of sales, a difference of US$17 million.
Similar to Monday when the purchase of US dollars were even with the sales with a total of US$44 million bought and US$44.5 million sold of all currencies, the rate paid by the public to purchase the US dollar jumped over the closing rate on Friday.
On Friday last US$37 million was purchased by dealers of all currency including US$35.5 million in US currency and US$27 million in US currency was sold at an average rate of $132.96, as a total of US$28 million sold of all currencies.
Based on the schedule of intervention by Bank of Jamaica, the central bank will buy US$5 million from the market on Wednesday to be followed by similar amounts on August 2, and August 8.
US$ rate rises in BOJ FX auction
A total of 29 offers from dealers amounting to $18.35 million were presented for sale to Bank of Jamaica in the second buy side of B-FXITT foreign exchange auction held on Wednesday this week.
The bank accepted 22 offers for the US$12 million it offered to buy. Despite the excess supply, the rate for the US dollar rose above the average rates dealers sold to the general public at since beginning of last weeks. The average in the first buy auction held on April 11, resulted in an average rate of $125.42. The average rate came out at 125.93 for accepted offers but was J$126.24 for all amounts that were offered for sale. The highest priced offer was at U$127.50 and the lowest J$124.90.