The U.S. dollar held near a two-decade high on Wednesday after U.S. inflation moderated less than markets had expected, keeping the Federal Reserve on course to tighten policy aggressively.

The dollar index , which measures the greenback against six major peers, slipped about 0.1% to 103.92 on Thursday, but was still close to the 104.19 level reached at the start of the week for the first time since late 2002.

The consumer price index climbed 8.3% on an annual basis in April, easing from 8.5% in March but outstripping the 8.1% estimate of economists.

The data suggested inflation may have peaked, but was unlikely to cool quickly and derail the Fed’s current monetary policy plans.

The market is fully priced for at least a half percentage point increase to the policy rate at each of the next two Fed decisions, on June 15 and July 27, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. – Reuters