- Monday's risk-averse moves unwind as Yellen urges spending
- Euro gains on bright German investor sentiment, Italian politics
- Graphic: World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
The U.S. dollar nursed losses on Wednesday and the euro hung on to gains as investors' mood brightened in the wake of a better-than-expected sentiment survey in Germany and big spending talk from U.S. Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen.
Yellen's comments, urging lawmakers to "act big" on coronavirus relief and not worry too much about debt, helped assuage this week's risk averse tone and knocked the dollar index =USD from a one-month high.
The euro EUR=EBS bounced off support around $1.2050, lifting about 0.4% on the dollar overnight to hit $1.2145, following a ZEW investor sentiment survey that beat forecasts and the Italian government surviving a confidence vote.
It held near that level in Asia, and the risk-sensitive Australian and New Zealand dollars edged up in morning trade to also hold modest overnight rises. The Aussie AUD=D3 was last up 0.2% at $0.7707 and the kiwi NZD=D3 up 0.1% to $0.7122.
"The stimulatory bias of the incoming Biden administration's economic policy is again at the centre of market attention," ANZ analysts said in a note to clients.
"However, seesawing between expectations of reflation and current soft economic data will probably continue for a while longer," they added, limiting upside for currencies such as the kiwi.
Joe Biden is inaugurated as U.S. President at noon in Washington on Wednesday (1700 GMT), though traders are more focused on his policies than the ceremony.
The safe-haven yen JPY=EBS was sold with the improvement in sentiment and briefly eased past 104 per dollar, as well as falling against other major currencies. It last traded at 103.84 per dollar.
Sterling GBP= found support from the Bank of England's chief economist's prediction that Britain's economy begins to "recover at a rate of knots" in the second half of the year, and extended overnight gains slightly to $1.3649.
The Chinese yuan CNH= clung to modest gains in offshore trade at 6.4757 to the dollar ahead of a monthly interest rate fixing where traders expect no change in either one-year or five-year loan prime rates.
Later on Wednesday Malaysia's central bank meets, with a decision due at 0700 GMT. Nine of 15 economists polled by Reuters expect it will cut benchmark interest rates to historic lows.
The Bank of Canada is expected to hold rates steady when it announces policy at 1500 GMT.
======================================================== Currency bid prices at 8:40AM in Singapore (0040 GMT)Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid Previous Change Session Euro/Dollar EUR=EBS $1.2143 $1.2129 +0.10% -0.63% +1.2147 +1.2125 Dollar/Yen JPY=D3 103.8500 103.9100 -0.02% +0.58% +103.9100 +103.8900 Euro/Yen EURJPY= 126.09 126.00 +0.07% -0.65% +126.1300 +125.9800 Dollar/Swiss CHF=EBS 0.8878 0.8885 -0.10% +0.33% +0.8887 +0.8877 Sterling/Dollar GBP=D3 1.3644 1.3636 +0.07% -0.12% +1.3649 +1.3632 Dollar/Canadian CAD=D3 1.2719 1.2732 -0.07% -0.09% +1.2735 +1.2722 Aussie/Dollar AUD=D3 0.7714 0.7696 +0.22% +0.27% +0.7714 +0.7693 NZ NZD=D3 0.7129 0.7117 +0.18% -0.71% +0.7131 +0.7120 Dollar/DollarAll spots FX= Tokyo spots AFX= Europe spots EFX= Volatilities FXVOL= Tokyo Forex market info from BOJ TKYFX
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