Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 8/25/23

American Dollar to: Euro 1.151589; Japanese Yen .006868; Canadian Dollar 0.729115; Mexican Peso 0.052560; Chinese Yuan 0.139333

“For the first time since March and April truck tonnage contracted for two consecutive months,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “Tonnage fell 1.8% in November, bringing the two-month total decrease to 2.9%, pushing tonnage to its lowest level since January 2024. Sluggishness in factory output continues to weigh on freight volumes, but another drag on the index has been fleet growth at private carriers, which is holding back how much freight is flowing to for-hire carriers.” In December, the ATA advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 111.3 compared with 112.6 in November. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, was down 3.2% from the same month last year. The not seasonally adjusted index, which calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 108.8 in December, 0.9% below November. The seasonally adjusted decrease follows a sequential 1.8% drop in November, which was revised up from the December 24 press release.

Futures rose 0.5 percent in New York. Prices seesawed on Tuesday after President Donald Trump fired Tillerson, whom he had disagreements with over key foreign policy issues. The move could have implications for U.S. sanctions on Iran, which could impact the latter’s oil industry and exports, Facts Global Energy and Royal Bank of Canada warned. “The risk is now much higher that President Trump will not waive the sanctions when it is time to do so in May, thus derailing the deal,” said Bjarne Schieldrop, chief commodities analyst at SEB AB. Click Read More below for additional information.