The Fed lowered its window for the benchmark policy rate by 50 basis points to 4.75%-5%, where traders had been leaning before the decision. The dollar first fell broadly, hitting a two-and-a-half-year low on sterling, but then recoiled sharply.

The dollar traded near its lowest levels of the year on Tuesday, on the eve of the expected the start to a U.S. easing cycle that markets are betting may begin with an outsized rate cut. The euro rallied overnight to $1.

Investor expectations had largely shifted towards a dovish outcome in the days leading up to the Fed's move on Wednesday, with money markets pricing in around a 65% chance of a 50 basis point (bp) cut.