By Sinéad Carew
NEW YORK, Nov 27 (Reuters) – The dollar index fell on Friday, hitting its lowest level in almost three months, after strong economic data from China favored commodity currencies over safe havens and equity markets continued their rally.
The dollar has fallen more than 2.2% so far this month as global market sentiment has surged following Joe Biden’s election victory and positive COVID-19 vaccine progress,which reduced demand for the safe-haven currency.
The Australian dollar hit its highest level since September after news that China’s industrial firms grew in October for a sixth consecutive month and at their quickest pace since early 2017, pointing to a steady recovery in the manufacturing sector after it was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The British pound declined against the euro as the European Union and Britain said there were still substantial differences over a Brexit trade deal as the EU chief negotiator prepared to travel to London in a last-ditch attempt to avoid a tumultuous finale to the five-year Brexit crisis.
Along with China data and Brexit headlines, Erik Bregar, head of FX strategy at Exchange Bank of Canada in Toronto cited month-end selling of the U.S. dollar as investors look to balance portfolios after solid monthly gains for equities.
“There’s been talk all week that the U.S. dollar will see waves of selling going into Monday,” said Bregar who also noted “dollar selling into the London fix every day this week.”
Wall Street’s main indexes rose and the Nasdaq hit a record high as optimism around an economic rebound next year outweighed concerns around an expected surge in coronavirus infections following Thursday’s U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. .N
“The markets have a tendency to perhaps look through the fact that we’re going to have a really nasty Q4, possibly a very nasty Q1 too, in terms of economic data in Europe and the U.S., and look through to the better times ahead,” said Jane Foley, senior FX strategist at Rabobank.
“We’ve seen various stock market indices at all-time highs, so the dollar under pressure. Also keeping the dollar under pressure is this perception that the Fed will act, will pressure the yield curve lower, if need be, particularly if there continues to be a delay over the fiscal package,” she said.
The U.S. Federal Reserve’s latest meeting minutes said that policymakers could give new guidance on bond-buying “fairly soon”.
The dollar =USD was down 0.24% against a basket of major currencies after hitting its lowest level since Sept. 1. The dollar-yen was down 0.16% JPY=EBS.
The Australian dollar – seen as a liquid proxy for risk – hit its highest level in nearly three months in early London trading and was last up 0.5% at 0.7394AUD=D3.
Australia’s second-largest state, Victoria, which was once the country’s COVID-19 hotspot, said on Friday that it has gone 28 days without detecting new infections.
Sterling was down 0.03% against the dollar and the euro was up 0.26% against the British currency.
The euro was up 0.29% at $1.1945 EUR=EBS, having shown little reaction to downbeat comments from the European Central Bank’s chief economist Philip Lane on Thursday.
With market participants long on the euro, Rabobank’s Foley said that euro-dollar could face downsides as the ECB has signalled that it is watching euro appreciation. The EU budget which includes the COVID-19 recovery fund has not yet been approved.
Currency bid prices at 10:28AM (1528 GMT)
Description
RIC
Last
U.S. Close Previous Session
Pct Change
YTD Pct Change
High Bid
Low Bid
Dollar index
=USD
$91.8050
92.0380
-0.24%
+0.00%
+92.0530
+91.8070
Euro/Dollar
EUR=EBS
$1.1945
$1.1910
+0.29%
+6.54%
+1.1947
+1.1908
Dollar/Yen
JPY=D3
103.9900
104.2500
-0.16%
-4.18%
+104.2650
+103.9200
Euro/Yen
EURJPY=
124.20
124.18
+0.02%
+1.85%
+124.3700
+123.9000
Dollar/Swiss
CHF=EBS
0.9055
0.9077
-0.23%
-6.42%
+0.9082
+0.9053
Sterling/Dollar
GBP=D3
1.3356
1.3361
-0.03%
+0.71%
+1.3381
+1.3305
Dollar/Canadian
CAD=D3
1.2979
1.3015
-0.28%
-0.09%
+1.3024
+1.2977
Aussie/Dollar
AUD=D3
0.7394
0.7358
+0.50%
+5.38%
+0.7395
+0.7354
Euro/Swiss
EURCHF=
1.0816
1.0796
+0.19%
-0.33%
+1.0827
+1.0795
Euro/Sterling
EURGBP=
0.8941
0.8918
+0.26%
+5.76%
+0.8954
+0.8916
NZ Dollar/Dollar
NZD=D3
0.7037
0.7011
+0.39%
+4.59%
+0.7037
+0.7001
Dollar/Norway
NOK=D3
8.8260
8.8770
-0.47%
+0.72%
+8.8805
+8.8355
Euro/Norway
EURNOK=
10.5430
10.5680
-0.24%
+7.16%
+10.5900
+10.5380
Dollar/Sweden
SEK=
8.5080
8.5180
+0.11%
-8.99%
+8.5389
+8.5054
Euro/Sweden
EURSEK=
10.1620
10.1505
+0.11%
-2.93%
+10.1780
+10.1496
(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Nick Zieminski)
(([email protected]; +44 02075427104;))
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.