- Euro drops to lowest level since end of 2002
- Dollar rises on safe-haven demand
- Yen sinks near 24-year lows again
(Adds comments, fresh prices)
The euro slumped to a two-decade low on Tuesday as the latest surge in European gas prices added to the region's recession worries, while safe-haven demand for U.S. Treasuries strengthened the dollar.
Many currencies were under pressure. The euro's 1.5% drop EUR=EBS took it to its weakest since the end of 2002. Japan's yen JPY=EBS was near 24-year lows again, while Norway's crown tumbled 1.2% as gas workers there went on strike.
The risk of Europe sliding into a recession grew after another big 17% jump in natural gas prices in both Europe and Britain looked set to push inflation even higher.
Concerns about how the European Central Bank will react eroded sentiment after German Bundesbank chief Joachim Nagel on Monday hit out at the ECB's plans to try to shield highly indebted countries from surging borrowing rates.
"It will continue to be very difficult for the euro to rally in any meaningful way with the energy picture worsening and risks to economic growth increasing notably," said MUFG's head of global markets research Derek Halpenny.
Traders told Reuters there had also been a major dollar order in early trading, perhaps as U.S. markets were closed on Monday for the Fourth of July holiday.
One said that coupled with the energy price angst it caused a chain reaction, spilling into both equity and bond markets and then speeding the euro's fall as it broke through its 2017 low of $1.0340.
The heavy volatility also saw the euro drop to the lowest against the Swiss franc EURCHF= since the Swiss National Bank abandoned its currency cap in 2015. It fell against sterling too, although the pound's GBP=EBS own economic and political worries had left it below $1.20 again.
With the euro trading at two decade lows, volatility has jumped and trading in options has increased, said Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at Bannockburn Global Forex.
"Whether it is to play for the downside like a speculative move or whether it's a hedge against long euros, I can't tell you," Chandler said.
The Australian dollar fell despite the country's first back-to-back 50-basis point interest rate hike in recent memory overnight, which also cemented the fastest run up in rates there since 1994.
The Aussie AUD=D3 slid 1.4% to $0.677, after trading as high as $0.6895 earlier in the day. It is now down nearly 7% this year.
"We have had so many central banks hiking in these big increments that you are now getting talk of reverse currency wars," said Rabobank FX strategist Jane Foley, referring to where central banks need to hike rates just to stop their currencies from falling.
"It could get concerning" for a number of currencies, she added, especially if the U.S. Federal Reserve pushes ahead with large rate hikes in the coming months as expected.
The dollar's strength, meanwhile, nudged the yen back down toward a 24-year low. It was last at 135.825 per dollar. JPY=EBS
Eastern Europe was also feeling the heat as its countries are some of the most dependent on Russian gas. MSCI's main EM FX index hit its lowest since November 2020 with Euro-linked currencies such as the Hungarian forint HUF= , Polish zloty PLN= and Romanian leu RON= down 1.6-2.3% against the dollar.
Currency bid prices at 10:08 AM (1408 GMT)
Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid Previous Change Session Dollar index =USD 106.5600 105.1200 +1.39% 11.391% +106.6000 +105.0400 Euro/Dollar EUR=EBS $1.0256 $1.0421 -1.58% -9.78% +$1.0449 +$1.0254 Dollar/Yen JPY=EBS 135.8200 135.7050 +0.08% +17.98% +136.3550 +135.5650 Euro/Yen EURJPY= 139.28 141.39 -1.49% +6.88% +142.3700 +139.2000 Dollar/Swiss CHF=EBS 0.9681 0.9608 +0.75% +6.12% +0.9682 +0.9594 Sterling/Dollar GBP=D3 $1.1953 $1.2102 -1.23% -11.62% +$1.2126 +$1.1930 Dollar/Canadian CAD=D3 1.3026 1.2859 +1.32% +3.05% +1.3028 +1.2844 Aussie/Dollar AUD=D3 $0.6768 $0.6868 -1.43% -6.86% +$0.6895 +$0.6768 Euro/Swiss EURCHF= 0.9927 1.0016 -0.89% -4.26% +1.0032 +0.9925 Euro/Sterling EURGBP= 0.8577 0.8604 -0.31% +2.11% +0.8623 +0.8544 NZ NZD=D3 $0.6126 $0.6209 -1.34% -10.50% +$0.6226 +$0.6125 Dollar/DollarDollar/Norway NOK=D3 10.0850 9.8555 +2.09% +14.21% +10.0870 +9.8220 Euro/Norway EURNOK= 10.3450 10.2317 +1.11% +3.32% +10.3480 +10.2320 Dollar/Sweden SEK= 10.5317 10.3369 +0.34% +16.79% +10.5355 +10.3026 Euro/Sweden EURSEK= 10.8035 10.7670 +0.34% +5.56% +10.8105 +10.7519 <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5EEuro slumps to lowest since 2002 https://tmsnrt.rs/3nDgOho Europe's natural gas imports from Russia https://tmsnrt.rs/3ykjvei
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
