- Graphic: World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
The dollar headed for its first losing week in three as new signs of weakness in the U.S. jobs market dented investor expectations about the pace of a pandemic recovery.
Bitcoin was on course for its best week since the start of the year after surging to a fresh record near $49,000 following news Thursday that BNY Mellon had become the latest firm to embrace cryptocurrencies.
The dollar remained on the back foot on Friday, pinned near two-week lows, after the release of weaker-than-expected weekly U.S. jobless claims data the previous day.
That added to recent concerns that the dollar's previous rally had priced in too fast a pace of rebound for the U.S. economy.
The dollar index =USD was little changed at 90.423 in holiday-thinned trade due to Chinese new year, on track to fall 0.6% in a week that took it to the lowest since Jan. 27 at 90.249.
There has been a divergence in views among traders this year over just how U.S. President Joe Biden's planned $1.9 trillion fiscal stimulus package will affect the dollar.
Some see it as bolstering the currency as it should speed a U.S. recovery relative to other countries, while others view it is a major driver in a global reflation narrative that should lift riskier assets at the dollar's expense.
"The U.S. economy will outperform most thanks to fiscal stimulus and faster vaccine deployment, but ongoing reflationary fiscal and monetary policy will leave DXY on a sustained medium term bear trend," Westpac strategists wrote of the dollar index in a client note.
The euro EUR=EBS was little changed at $1.21275, consolidating for a third day near that level as it headed for a 0.6% weekly advance.
The dollar was mostly flat at 104.77 yen JPY=EBS , down 0.6% from the end of last week.
Bitcoin BTC=BTSP surged toward a 23% weekly advance, its biggest since the period ended Jan. 3, after hitting a new record high of $48.696.84 on Thursday.
======================================================== Currency bid prices at 2341 GMTDescription RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid Previous Change Session Euro/Dollar EUR=EBS $1.2129 $1.2133 -0.04% -0.74% +1.2135 +1.2128 Dollar/Yen JPY=D3 104.7350 104.7300 +0.00% +1.39% +104.7620 +0.0000 Euro/Yen EURJPY= 127.05 127.05 +0.00% +0.10% +127.1000 +127.0600 Dollar/Swiss CHF=EBS 0.8902 0.8898 +0.00% +0.58% +0.8903 +0.0000 Sterling/Dollar GBP=D3 1.3806 1.3816 -0.06% +1.07% +1.3815 +1.3808 Dollar/Canadian CAD=D3 1.2703 1.2703 +0.02% -0.23% +1.2706 +1.2695 Aussie/Dollar AUD=D3 0.7747 0.7755 -0.08% +0.72% +0.7755 +0.7746 NZ NZD=D3 0.7227 0.7227 +0.01% +0.65% +0.7229 +0.7226 Dollar/DollarAll spots FX= Tokyo spots AFX= Europe spots EFX= Volatilities FXVOL= Tokyo Forex market info from BOJ TKYFX
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