PBOC Surveys Banks on Dollar Slide as Tariff Deadlines Loom

China’s central bank has asked a group of domestic financial institutions for their assessments of the recent slide in the U.S. dollar, according to people familiar with the matter. In a survey conducted last week, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) sought views on the causes of the dollar’s weakness, its likely trajectory and the implications for the yuan’s exchange rate, the sources said. The PBOC did not comment on the exercise. The consultation comes as the Dollar Index has logged its worst first-half performance since 1973, falling about 11% so far this year and 6.6% since April 2. Market participants said Beijing may be evaluating the risk of a rapid yuan appreciation while U.S.–China trade negotiations continue. The survey also precedes two key U.S. tariff deadlines: a 90-day pause on duties affecting dozens of countries that lapses on Wednesday and the scheduled end of a reprieve on triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods next month.