FOREX-Dollar gains as investors unwind bets on big fiscal spending

* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E

(Adds quotes, updates prices)
By Karen Brettell
NEW YORK, Nov 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar gained against a
basket of currencies on Wednesday after Democrats looked
unlikely to take control of the U.S. Senate, leading investors
to unwind bets that a large fiscal package is likely.
Democrat Joe Biden held a narrow lead in Wisconsin on
Wednesday after officials completed their vote count in the
pivotal state, a major boost in his quest to win the U.S.
presidency from Donald Trump. A so-called "blue wave" of votes for Democrats did not
emerge as many had expected, however, making it likely that
Republicans will maintain control of the U.S. Senate, and oppose
any massive stimulus spending increase.
"It's going to be really tough to get additional stimulus
going if we do have a Republican Senate," said Bipan Rai, North
American head of FX strategy at CIBC Capital Markets in Toronto.
"If that is the case I would think that some of these 'blue
wave' trades need to be unwound. Now what that means for the
dollar is that we're probably looking for a short squeeze."
The dollar index =USD rose 0.27% to 93.39, after reaching
a one-month high of 94.31 overnight.
The euro EUR= gained 0.09% to $1.1722, after dropping to
$1.1602, its lowest since July 24.
The greenback was little changed against the Japanese yen
JPY= at 104.44 yen.
The offshore yuan CNH= hit a more than two-year high of
6.6190 against the dollar on Wednesday afternoon as Biden
appeared to take the lead in the election. The yuan had weakened
to a one-month low of 6.7741 in overnight trading.
Exceptionally heavy trading Tuesday night between the dollar
and yuan drove volumes in world markets, said Troy Rohrbaugh,
global head of markets for JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Foreign exchange volume in Asia was three to four times the
daily average, he said. "China is one of the key political
topics that will be determined by the election," Rohbraugh said.
The yuan has been heavily affected by Sino-U.S. disputes
since the outbreak of the bilateral trade war in 2018.
Risk appetite was strong on Wednesday, with stocks rising,
which likely limited the dollar rally.
The prospect of legal challenges over the election result,
however, may still dampen risk taking in the coming days or
weeks, which would likely lift the greenback further.
"The contested election outcome and this going to the
courts, that is what I think everyone does not want," said
Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York. "If you
don't have that certainty then you're going to eventually see
that risk aversion will persist like we saw in 2000."
Trump's campaign said on Wednesday it would seek a recount
of votes in Wisconsin, hours before CNN and the Associated Press
projected Biden had won the key battleground state's 10
electoral college votes. Currency bid prices at 3:00PM (2000 GMT)
Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid
Previous Change
Session
Euro/Dollar EUR= $1.1722 $1.1711 +0.09% +4.57% +1.1768 +1.1605
Dollar/Yen JPY= 104.4400 104.4600 -0.02% -4.06% +105.3400 +104.1600
Euro/Yen EURJPY= 122.44 122.46 -0.02% +0.40% +123.0700 +121.9800
Dollar/Swiss CHF= 0.9120 0.9117 +0.03% -5.77% +0.9198 +0.9093
Sterling/Dollar GBP= 1.2997 1.3058 -0.47% -1.98% +1.3139 +1.2916
Dollar/Canadian CAD= 1.3124 1.3130 -0.05% +1.06% +1.3299 +1.3095
Australian/Doll AUD= 0.7189 0.7160 +0.41% +2.39% +0.7221 +0.7050
ar
Euro/Swiss EURCHF= 1.0692 1.0687 +0.05% -1.47% +1.0714 +1.0662
Euro/Sterling EURGBP= 0.9017 0.8970 +0.52% +6.66% +0.9032 +0.8947
NZ NZD= 0.6701 0.6698 +0.04% -0.52% +0.6742 +0.6617
Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway NOK= 9.3085 9.3625 -0.58% +6.04% +9.5928 +9.2903
Euro/Norway EURNOK= 10.9120 10.9950 -0.75% +10.92% +11.1420 +10.8946
Dollar/Sweden SEK= 8.7746 8.8210 -0.56% -6.13% +8.9466 +8.7707
Euro/Sweden EURSEK= 10.2892 10.3472 -0.56% -1.72% +10.3885 +10.2879