SINGAPORE: The dollar stood on the verge of fresh year-to-date peaks on Wednesday, as jitters about surging virus infections buttressed gains built on higher interest rate expectations, with investors waiting on the European Central Bank for their next cue.
In the digital space, cryptocurrencies clawed back Tuesday’s losses to drag bitcoin from a one-month low and back over $30,000.
The euro touched its lowest since April on Tuesday and, at $1.1772 in Asia, was not far above the year’s nadir at $1.1704. It might find support if the ECB fails to meet expectations for a dovish tweak to rates guidance at its Thursday meeting. But if that is delivered, it could open the way for further weakness.
“The implication is the ECB’s monetary policy will now remain ultra easy for even longer which is a headwind to the euro,” said Commonwealth Bank of Australia strategist Kim Mundy.
Other majors likewise faced difficulty escaping multi-month lows leaving sterling, the Canadian, Australia and New Zealand dollars to trade under pressure in the Asia session.
“The US dollar does seem to have quite an undertow of support,” said Westpac analyst Sean Callow in Sydney.
Virus scare puts dollar near year's highs as bitcoin back above $30,000
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Virus scare puts dollar near year's highs as bitcoin back above $30,000
- The global spread of the Delta variant has rattled currency markets
