A strong dollar is a thorn in the side of U.S companies with a global footprint. Revenues earned overseas translate into fewer greenbacks here when the dollar is strengthening. And U.S. products become increasingly pricey for consumers abroad. Over the past year, the dollar is up more than 14% against a basket of foreign currencies, as measured by the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY). And if inflation stays high, more rate-hiking from the Federal Reserve to cool the economy and tame prices would likely push the dollar even higher.
That has started to put a dent into U.S. corporate profits.
During the second quarter earnings season companies including Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), IBM (IBM), Microsoft (MSFT), Netflix (NFLX) and Salesforce.com (CRM) have trimmed their outlooks for business results because of a beefier buck. Companies in the benchmark S&P 500 index generate about 30% of their revenues outside the U.S. according to investment firm LPL…
