Delta variant continues to spread globally, and USD on the back foot against other safe-haven peers

USD turned slightly weaker against JPY and CHF on Tuesday after soft manufacturing data being released. Latest PMI shows that US manufacturing growth has been slowing down for the second straight month. Moreover, the Delta variant is also posing concerns among investors. In the US, cases in Louisiana and Florida have surged to their highest points historically. Officials, however, have ruled out another lockdown in the country. In other places, the Delta variant also continues to spread quickly, and some health officials consider it as contagious as chickenpox. In Japan, the state of emergency has been expanded to more regions. In China, the variant is spreading from the east coast to inland cities.