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* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
By Saikat Chatterjee
LONDON, Sept 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar consolidated
gains on Friday but was set for its biggest weekly rise in
nearly four months as an overnight plunge in high-flying U.S.
technology stocks fuelled a bout of risk aversion in global
markets.
The Nasdaq led the pullback with a decline of almost 5% a
day after it and the S&P 500 posted record closing highs. It was
the third-biggest one-day fall from a record close and the big
losses boosted demand for the greenback's safe-haven status. .N
"Near-term, if this correction in big tech continues, it
will impact overall risk and fuel further demand for the
dollar," Mizuho strategists said in a note.
The dollar's bounce this week comes after weeks of losses
which saw the greenback fall to a April 2018 low of 91.74 on
Tuesday after the U.S. central bank overhauled its policy
framework last week, which would allow it to keep rates lower
for longer periods, a negative for the dollar. Against a basket of currencies =USD , the dollar was
trading at 92.774 in early London trading. On a weekly basis, it
was up 0.6%, its biggest weekly rise since mid-May.
Data due later on Friday is expected to show U.S. non-farm
payrolls grew by 1.4 million in August, which would be slower
than the 1.763 million jobs created in the previous month.
There are growing signs the labour market recovery from the
depths of the pandemic is faltering, with financial support from
the government virtually depleted.
The dollar's downtrend will continue for at least another
three months due to the outlook for the Fed's monetary policy, a
Reuters poll of analysts showed on Friday. The dollar's bounce clipped the wings of the soaring euro
EUR=EBS which briefly hit more than 2-year highs above $1.20
this week. It was trading broadly flat at $1.1845 on Friday.
The Antipodean currencies initially fell slightly, tracking
the broader loss of investor confidence as a sell-off in U.S.
tech shares hit Asian stocks and a closely-watched measure of
market volatility .VIX hit a 10-week high.
The Australian dollar AUD=D3 steadied at $0.7277,
supported after local retail sales accelerated in July.