* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
By Tom Westbrook
SINGAPORE, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The dollar was firm on Tuesday
but was well below peaks hit on Monday's wild ride higher, as a
new coronavirus strain in Britain sent jitters through
holiday-thinned currency markets.
Sterling GBP= and the New Zealand dollar NZD= fell half
a percent in cautious trade in Asia, the Australian dollar
AUD= fell 0.4% and the euro EUR= was 0.2% softer at $1.2228.
At $1.3308, the pound was still nearly two cents clear of a
10-day low made on Monday, when it briefly lost as much as 2.5%
after the virus mutation prompted countries to cut travel links
with Britain and as Brexit trade talks stalled. GBP/
Low liquidity, with many traders logged out for the year,
exaggerated the speed and size of the dollar's gains against
other currencies, too, as stop-loss mechanisms dumped investors
out of bets against the greenback.
The moves unwound over the New York session, as a Bloomberg
report hinted at progress in Brexit trade negotiations and as
Congress settled on a U.S. stimulus package, encouraging
investors to buy back in to the dollar's downtrend.
"The euro found an abundance of buyers on the deep dip,"
said Stephen Innes, Bangkok-based chief strategist at currency
broker Axi.
"The 'short dollar' clear-out is probably nothing more
nefarious than stretched positioning getting taken out to the
woodshed on Brexit scares. However, it shows the potential
dangers of universally bearish dollar sentiment," he said.
The euro is a cent above its Monday low of $1.2130 and
firmed 0.3% on the pound EURGBP= to 91.23 pence.
Experts said there was no evidence that vaccines would not
protect against the new virus variant, but Britain's chief
scientific adviser said that in the meantime tighter
restrictions on public life in Britain were likely. Britain also faces food shortages because countries across
the globe have locked their borders to the country to try and
contain the highly-infectious strain. The whippy price moves, even in light trade, highlight the
risks in a market that is heavily short dollars and pricing a
pandemic recovery that lifts commodity prices and benefits
exporters and their currencies at the expense of the greenback.
The value of overall bets against the dollar eased a
fraction last week, positioning data showed, but remains near
nine-year highs struck in September. 0#NETUSDFX=
A downtrend that has the dollar index on course for a third
consecutive quarterly loss and has carried it some 12.5% lower
from a March peak has left it both irresistible to momentum
funds and overdue for a pause.
The index =USD , which measures the dollar against a basket
of six major currencies was last up 0.2% at 90.259 though
beneath its Monday top of 90.978. That is 0.6% above a 2-1/2
year trough of 89.723 it hit last week.
"Medium-term trends still favour (being) short dollars,
short U.S. Treasuries and long commodities. The recent dollar
index break below 90 supports our view that dollar weakness can
persist next year," said Bank of America analyst Paul Ciana.
But, he added, big recent gains in currencies such as the
Aussie dollar, the Swiss franc and Chinese yuan mean a pullback
might be due.
"These are warning signs the dollar selloff may take a
breather or bounce in the next two to four weeks."
The yuan, which has gained nearly 10% on the dollar since a
March low has been steady for about a week now and was a
fraction softer at 6.5433 per dollar on Tuesday. CNY/
========================================================
Currency bid prices at 12:59PM in Singapore (0459 GMT)
Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid
Previous Change
Session
Euro/Dollar EUR=EBS $1.2224 $1.2248 -0.19% +9.04% +1.2250 +1.2220
Dollar/Yen JPY=D3 103.4450 103.3550 +0.09% -4.76% +103.4750 +103.3200
Euro/Yen EURJPY= 126.44 126.45 -0.01% +3.68% +126.5500 +126.3600
Dollar/Swiss CHF=EBS 0.8865 0.8859 +0.06% -8.40% +0.8868 +0.8855
Sterling/Dollar GBP=D3 1.3388 1.3471 -0.60% +0.96% +1.3467 +1.3380
Dollar/Canadian CAD=D3 1.2873 1.2858 +0.12% -0.90% +1.2876 +1.2845
Aussie/Dollar AUD=D3 0.7557 0.7587 -0.39% +7.71% +0.7590 +0.7552
NZ NZD=D3 0.7055 0.7096 -0.56% +4.86% +0.7105 +0.7056
Dollar/Dollar
All spots FX=
Tokyo spots AFX=
Europe spots EFX=
Volatilities FXVOL=
Tokyo Forex market info from BOJ TKYFX