The dollar index fell to 99.4 as US consumer sentiment slumped to its weakest level in more than three years. The University of Michigan’s November reading dropped to 50.3, hit by the prolonged government shutdown, persistent price pressures, and deteriorating personal finances. Current conditions sank to a record low, while unemployment fears rose sharply. With official data delayed by the shutdown, traders leaned on private reports showing cooling hiring and rising layoffs. That reinforced bets on monetary easing, with markets pricing roughly a 70% chance of a 25 bps Fed cut in December. Still, some policymakers urged caution, with Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee warning that the lack of official inflation figures complicates further decisions.