Chart Of The Day: Mexican Peso Outshining U.S. Dollar

 | Jul 19, 2018 10:01AM ET

While the world’s attention has been focused on the US dollar, there is another currency that has been strengthening against the greenback and was even able to hold its own as the dollar went on a tear: the Mexican peso.

Since June, the peso has been strengthening versus the dollar by as much as 10 percent. It was flat against the dollar since July 11 when the greenback was moving.

The recent climb by the peso follows a fall of as much as 44 percent since Donald Trump announced his presidential run in June 2015. Trump's threats to leave the NAFTA trade agreement to pursue separate, bi-lateral trade deals sparked uncertainty and weighed heavily on the currency.

Trump, however, said yesterday that the US and Mexico are "getting closer" to reaching a trade deal . Why has the Mexican peso been strengthening for a month then? Maybe some people were aware that negotiations between the two countries were in the final stages. This would help explain why the USD/MXN has been trading lower since its June 15 high, though it is easing today after yesterday's slide.