FOREX-Dollar gains as oil crash and North Korea sap risk sentiment

* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
* Historic collapse in oil futures
* Dollar to remain supported in long term
* FX markets adjust to shifts in global economic risks

By Stanley White
TOKYO, April 21 (Reuters) - The dollar resumed its climb
against currencies of oil producers on Tuesday, as investors
remained skittish after a historic plunge in U.S. crude futures
to below zero and shied away from risk even as the benchmark
bounced back.
Concerns about the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
following media reports that he was receiving treatment after
undergoing a cardiovascular procedure also supported the dollar.
U.S. crude oil futures plunged into negative territory for
the first time on Monday, dragged by a supply glut and sagging
demand due to the coronavirus crisis though they managed to
scrape back into positive territory early Tuesday.
"Oil is off its lows, but a lot of companies are going to
get hit and companies could start to fail," said Shane Oliver,
head of investment strategy and chief economist at AMP Capital
Investors in Sydney.
"If share prices have a pullback, the dollar could see some
gains as a safe haven. The only thing that's capping the dollar
is that the Federal Reserve has done more quantitative easing
than anyone else."
Factory closures and travel curbs enforced to slow the pace
of new infections have triggered a collapse in oil prices, which
is drawing money from commodity currencies and other risk assets
to the safety of dollar-denominated assets.
Against the Norwegian crown NOK= , the dollar rose 0.28% to
10.4722 after gaining 1.2% on Monday, and traded at 24.1040
Mexican pesos MXN=D3 following a 1.3% jump the previous day.
The U.S. currency pulled up 0.2% to 75.758 Russian rubles
RUB= , and also steadied against the Canadian dollar CAD=EBS
at C$1.4162 after hitting a two-week high on Monday.
The South Korean won KRW= was one of the biggest losers,
tumbling around 1% to 1,232.15 against the dollar after CNN
reported that North Korea's Kim was in "grave danger" after
surgery. However, sources in the South Korean government and the
Chinese Communist Party refuted the media reports. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for May delivery CLc1
turned positive and traded at just below $2 per barrel in Asia,
off a low of minus $40 hit in New York trading.
The May contract expires on Tuesday. The more actively
traded June contract CLc2 was up 4.89% at $21.43 a barrel.
O/R
Investors have been unwinding long positions in front-month
futures because U.S. storage facilities are nearly at capacity.
Energy prices are also falling because output cuts agreed
last week by major oil producers have not offset a collapse in
demand caused by the pandemic.
The dollar rose to 0.9702 Swiss franc CHF=EBS as
safe-haven flows continued to support the U.S. currency.
Sterling GBP=D3 fell 0.2% to $1.2411.
The dollar steadied at 107.47 yen JPY=EBS
The euro EUR=EBS eased to $1.0841. Against the pound, the
common currency was little changed at 87.38 pence EURGBP=D3 .
Asian equities followed Wall Street lower, with MSCI's
broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS and Nikkei .N225 down. MKTS/GLOB
Data due later on Tuesday is expected to show German
investor sentiment remained weak in April because of the
pandemic.
European Union officials will discuss on Thursday the bloc's
response to the coronavirus-induced economic chaos.
Members of the EU are struggling to reach consensus on how
to financially support countries hardest hit but the virus, such
as Italy and Spain.
If the EU fails to reach an agreement this week, there could
be more downside risks for the euro, some analysts say.
As coronavirus infections show tentative signs of peaking in
some places, countries are struggling to decide how to re-open
their economies for business.
The New Zealand dollar NZD=D3 fell 0.7% to $0.5998.
Short-term investors quickly booked profits on the kiwi's
gains on Monday after the country decided to next week ease some
of the world's strictest lockdown measures taken to stop the
spread of infections. The Australian dollar AUD=D3 slipped to $0.6310 after data
showed that 6% of all jobs in the country were lost in a brief
period over March 14 to April 4 due to the virus.