Euro near lowest in weeks as dollar holds gains on trade optimism
Friday,
08-Nov-2019
02:53 PM (IST)
The euro held steady Friday, though flirting with a three-week low against the dollar as the U.S. currency benefited from news that China and the U.S. had agreed to roll back tariffs as part of a potential preliminary pact to end their trade war. China and the United States have agreed to roll back tariffs on each others’ goods in a “phase one” trade deal if it is completed, officials from both sides said on Thursday. Sentiment is likely to remain supportive for the dollar, equities and other risky assets as a de-escalation in the U.S.-China trade war removes a huge risk to the global economic outlook. However, there is still some scepticism about a trade deal as officials inside and outside the White House have bristled at the notion of giving up punitive tariffs. Muddying the waters further, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told Fox News Channel on Thursday that the United States is “very, very optimistic” about reaching a trade deal with China soon. The euro was neutral at $1.10495, close to the three-week low of $1.10355 it reached on Thursday. The prospects of an end to the U.S.-China trade war left the safe haven yen nursing losses against most major currencies. Versus the dollar, the yen was near a five-month low and against the Australian dollar the Japanese currency was close to a 15-week low. The progress in resolving the 16-month-long trade war also supported the China's yuan. In the offshore market, the yuan traded at 6.9834 per dollar, close to a three-month high it jumped to on Thursday. The yuan was set for its sixth straight weekly gain. Traders will be watching for the University of Michigan consumer survey in the United States, due at 1500 GMT. Economists polled by Reuters expect the survey to inch slightly higher to 95.9 in November from 95.5 in October. The pound traded a $1.2816, close to the lowest since Oct. 24, on course for a 1% decline this week. Hitherto, the Bank of England has resisted following the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank in cutting its main interest rate, but the outcome of Thursday’s meeting suggests the central bank is poised to change its stance.
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