- Dollar recovers after Tuesday's drop on impeachment inquiry
- Aussie, offshore yuan hurt by latest trade concerns
- New Zealand dollar gains as central bank gives little away
- Graphic: World FX rates in 2019: http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
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The dollar recovered on Wednesday after being hit a day earlier by the launch of a formal impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Donald Trump while renewed global trade tensions weighed on the Chinese yuan and Australian dollar.
The U.S. currency dropped on Tuesday after the announcement that the House of Representatives would initiate a formal impeachment inquiry and disappointing consumer confidence data also weighed on the greenback.
But the world's most liquid currency rebounded on Wednesday. Adam Cole, a currency analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said the immediate reaction to sell the dollar was questionable.
"For a couple of reasons it's not a sell risk or sell dollar story," he said, pointing to the very small chance that Trump would be impeached, and his view that if the president left office it would not necessarily be positive for risky assets.
Some market players, however, said more domestic instability would consume Trump's political capital, making it harder for him to compromise with China on trade or boost spending ahead of a presidential election next year.
"Increasing U.S. political uncertainty may dampen the outlook further, as it reduces the already low probability of the U.S. economy benefitting from a pre-election fiscal impulse," Morgan Stanley analysts said in a note.
The dollar index climbed 0.2% to 98.545 .DXY . Against the euro, it rose 0.2% to $1.0999 EUR=EBS .
TRADE RHETORIC Forex markets elsewhere were largely in a risk-off mood. Trump's rhetoric on China turned harsh on Tuesday as he criticised Beijing's trade practices during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing would not be threatened on trade or allow interference in its affairs.
China's offshore yuan fell 0.2% to 7.1240 CNH=EBS . The China-exposed Australian dollar weakened 0.3% to $0.6779 AUD=D3 .
Emerging market currencies mostly fell. But the New Zealand dollar bucked the trend after its central bank gave a less dovish monetary policy outlook than expected.
The Kiwi was last 0.1% higher at $0.6319 NZD=D3 . The yen dropped 0.2% against the dollar to 107.28 yen JPY=EBS . Another safe-haven, the Swiss franc, edged up 0.2% against the euro to 1.0845 francs EURCHF=EBS .
Sterling dropped 0.5% to $1.2440 GBP=D3 , reversing most of its gains from Tuesday when Britain's Supreme Court ruled Prime Minister Boris Johnson had unlawfully suspended parliament.
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