FOREX-Dollar rebounds, yen drops as traders cling to stimulus hopes

Published 10/03/2020, 11:06
Updated 10/03/2020, 11:09
© Reuters.  FOREX-Dollar rebounds, yen drops as traders cling to stimulus hopes
DX
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* Dollar recovers, adds more than 2% vs yen, 0.7% vs euro

* Commodity-linked currencies rebound but sentiment fragile

* Tracking the coronavirus: https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7

* Graphic: World FX rates in 2019 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh

(Adds details, latest prices, chart)

By Tommy Wilkes

LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) - The dollar rebounded on Tuesday

after huge losses against the yen and the euro, as investors

turned hopeful that policymakers would introduce co-ordinated

stimulus to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus

outbreak.

The moves helped reverse some of Monday's gyrations, but at

104 yen per dollar the Japanese currency was not back above the

105 seen before this week.

The dollar started to recover as U.S. stock futures rose and

bond yields gained, following U.S. President Donald Trump's

announcement that he would hold a news conference on Tuesday

about economic measures in response to the virus.

Analysts said it was too early to call a bottom in the

dollar, which plunged on Monday after a price war between Saudi

Arabia and Russia triggered the biggest daily rout in oil prices

since the 1991 Gulf War and Treasury yields dropped further.

Against a basket of currencies, the dollar rose 0.5% to

95.865 =USD . It rallied 2.2% against the yen to 104.6

JPY=EBS , considerably higher than Monday's 101.18 low.

The yen also fell against the euro EURJPY=EBS and the

Australian dollar AUDJPY=EBS , after Bank of Japan officials

indicated they were ready to ramp up stimulus if necessary,

before a policy meeting next week.

"It seems pretty clear that owning the yen still works when

bond yields are falling, volatility is spiking and risk appetite

is disappearing. So today's a bad day for the yen as we reverse

all those sentiments," said Kit Juckes, an FX strategist at

Societe Generale.

"However, that opens up the opportunity to get yen longs on

before we exit the eye of the storm and feel its fury again."

The euro dropped 0.7% versus the dollar to $1.1332

EUR=EBS , down from $1.1495 on Monday, its strongest since

early January.

The dollar rose 0.8% to 0.9329 Swiss franc CHF=EBS on

Tuesday, recovering after three days of heavy selling pushed it

to its lowest in almost five years. Data suggest the Swiss

National Bank is now intervening to weaken its currency.

Against the pound GBP=D3 , the U.S. currency rose 0.5% to

$1.3060.

Volatility has doubled in FX markets from the levels of late

February, reaching its highest since early 2017, according to

one index .DBCVIX .

Analysts said FX volatility, which has not jumped to the

same extent as in equity markets, could rise further.

"The data from China is likely to be of particular interest

as it was the first country to be hit by the virus. The tension

on the markets is likely to continue and I would not exclude

that the FX markets might be hit by a proper risk-off wave at

some point soon," said Commerzbank analyst Thu Lan Nguyen.

Commodity-linked currencies that tumbled on Monday following

the crash in oil prices recovered slightly. The Norwegian crown

added 1.9% versus the euro to 10.76 EURNOK=D3 , away from

record lows but still off the 10.4 levels seen last week.

The Canadian dollar rose 0.3% to C$1.3658 CAD=D3 . The

Russian rouble RUB=EBS gained 3.6% and the Mexican peso

MXN=EBS 0.6%.

Deutsche Bank Currency Volatility Index https://tmsnrt.rs/2vKAQj3

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(Editing by Larry King)

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