USD/MXN refreshed 24-month lows below 17.00 on Friday, but it has recovered some ground, with buyers stepping in and reclaiming the 17.00 level. Data from the United States (US) weighed on the Greenback, as consumer sentiment and Retail Sales deteriorated. The pair trades at 17.02, after bouncing off daily lows of 16.97.
USD/MXN holds near two-year lows as traders price out Fed hikes
US data proved benign on the inflation front, with consumer and producer prices edging lower. The Nonfarm Payrolls reading on August 7 and jobless claims on Thursday paint a picture of ‘some’ softening, but give Federal Reserve officials no reason to say labor market risks are tilted to the upside.
On Friday, Retail Sales disappointed investors, contracting 0.6% MoM, below forecasts of a 0.1% expansion, and June’s 0.2%. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment preliminary reading in August showed some deterioration in sentiment among American households, as the Index dipped from 55.2 to 51, while inflation expectations remained little changed.
The backdrop prompted an aggressive pricing out for a Fed rate hike in 2026. For the September meeting, the odds are 32% for a hike and 68% for keeping interest rates steady.
In Mexico, Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard stated that Mexico is asking the US to eliminate or reduce tariffs on the automobile industry. He argued that vehicles made in Japan, South Korea, Germany, or Morocco pay a 15% tariff, while those in Mexico face a 25% tariff.
“So, give me a discount, because I buy more parts of the United States from you than the other countries, I just mentioned”, Ebrard said.
Next week, Mexico’s economic schedule will be busy, with investors eyeing the release of the Bank of Mexico’s (Banxico) last meeting minutes and Retail Sales data. In the US, the docket will feature housing data, the ADP Employment Change 4-week average, jobless claims and Flash PMIs.
USD/MXN Price Forecast: Technical outlook
In the daily chart, USD/MXN trades near 17.0294, extending its slide beneath the clustered simple moving averages in the Moving Average Triple around 17.3775. Price action remains capped by the more recent descending resistance trend line, which comes in near 17.4197, while the Relative Strength Index (14) sits around 27 and drifts into oversold territory, hinting that bearish pressure is stretched but still dominant as long as the pair holds below these overhead barriers.
On the downside, the next notable structural floor aligns with the earlier downtrend break level around 15.6176, which acts as a distant but important support reference should the decline deepen. On the topside, a recovery would first need to reclaim the Moving Average Triple resistance near 17.3775, followed by a clearer break above the descending resistance trend line at 17.4197 to ease the bearish bias and open the way for a more sustained corrective rebound.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
Mexican Peso FAQs
The Mexican Peso (MXN) is the most traded currency among its Latin American peers. Its value is broadly determined by the performance of the Mexican economy, the country’s central bank’s policy, the amount of foreign investment in the country and even the levels of remittances sent by Mexicans who live abroad, particularly in the United States. Geopolitical trends can also move MXN: for example, the process of nearshoring – or the decision by some firms to relocate manufacturing capacity and supply chains closer to their home countries – is also seen as a catalyst for the Mexican currency as the country is considered a key manufacturing hub in the American continent. Another catalyst for MXN is Oil prices as Mexico is a key exporter of the commodity.
The main objective of Mexico’s central bank, also known as Banxico, is to maintain inflation at low and stable levels (at or close to its target of 3%, the midpoint in a tolerance band of between 2% and 4%). To this end, the bank sets an appropriate level of interest rates. When inflation is too high, Banxico will attempt to tame it by raising interest rates, making it more expensive for households and businesses to borrow money, thus cooling demand and the overall economy. Higher interest rates are generally positive for the Mexican Peso (MXN) as they lead to higher yields, making the country a more attractive place for investors. On the contrary, lower interest rates tend to weaken MXN.
Macroeconomic data releases are key to assess the state of the economy and can have an impact on the Mexican Peso (MXN) valuation. A strong Mexican economy, based on high economic growth, low unemployment and high confidence is good for MXN. Not only does it attract more foreign investment but it may encourage the Bank of Mexico (Banxico) to increase interest rates, particularly if this strength comes together with elevated inflation. However, if economic data is weak, MXN is likely to depreciate.
As an emerging-market currency, the Mexican Peso (MXN) tends to strive during risk-on periods, or when investors perceive that broader market risks are low and thus are eager to engage with investments that carry a higher risk. Conversely, MXN tends to weaken at times of market turbulence or economic uncertainty as investors tend to sell higher-risk assets and flee to the more-stable safe havens.
