* Dollar index little changed after Friday payrolls fall
* Bitcoin hits record high after Tesla purchase
* Ethereum climbs to all-time peak after futures debut
* Graphic: World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
(Adds analyst comments on dollar, bitcoin, updates prices)
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss
NEW YORK, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The dollar was flat to slightly lower on Monday in choppy trading, as
investors also focused on rallying cryptocurrencies led by bitcoin after Tesla announced a $1.5 billion
investment in the digital asset.
The dollar index was last at 90.959 =USD , little changed on the day. On Friday, it fell after data
showed the U.S. economy created fewer jobs than expected in January and job losses in December were greater
than initially reported.
Investors, however, continued to see a faster U.S. recovery than in most countries. Many analysts now
believe the dollar will remain well-bid in the near to medium term, after a nearly 7% drop in 2020. So far
this year, the dollar has gained 1.1%.
Jonas Goltermann, senior markets economist, at Capital Economics attributed the dollar's rebound from
lows late last year to the U.S. government's relative success in rolling out the COVID-19 vaccines.
According to Capital Economics analysis, more than 10% of Americans have now received a first vaccine
dose, a much faster pace of vaccine rollout than any other major economy aside from the UK.
"To the extent that this divergence continues, it could help the dollar rally further," Goltermann said.
"After all, if the U.S. economy fared better than its peers, investors would probably favor U.S. assets over
those elsewhere."
Speculators have also been reducing short positions - bets the dollar will weaken - on the currency. Net
bearish bets on the dollar by speculators fell to $29.95 billion for the week ended Feb. 2, according to
calculations by Reuters and U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data. In afternoon trading, the euro was flat against the dollar at $1.2050 EUR=EBS .
In a note to clients, J.P. Morgan strategists said they "have growing confidence of underperformance of
EUR vs USD."
Investor morale in the euro zone unexpectedly fell in February as lockdowns to suppress the COVID-19
caseload left their mark on the economy, which lost touch with other regions in the world as they recovered
further, a survey by Sentix showed.
Sentix's investor sentiment index for the euro zone fell into negative territory, dropping to -0.2 from
1.3 in January.
The dollar slipped 0.1% against the yen to 105.215 JPY=EBS , having pulled back from a three-month high
reached on Friday.
In the cryptocurrency market, bitcoin BTC=BTSP hit another record high of $44,899 after Tesla Inc
TSLA.O said on Monday it had invested around $1.5 billion in the virtual currency and expects to begin
accepting payment with it for its cars and other products in the near future. Bitcoin was last up 11.15% at $43,188.
"Tesla's bitcoin disclosure could end up being looked back upon as the event that ensured
cryptocurrencies crossed the chasm into the mainstream," said Eric Kapfhammer, chief operating officer and
head of Polyient Capital, which specializes in digital asset portfolio management.
Ethereum ETH=BTSP , the second largest cryptocurrency in terms of market capitalization, hit a record
high of $1,779.43 after the listing of its futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange late Sunday.
It was last up 5.8% at $1,708.94.
========================================================
Currency bid prices at 3:10PM (2010 GMT)
Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid
Previous Change
Session
Dollar index =USD 90.9420 90.9980 -0.06% 1.068% +91.2280 +90.8970
Euro/Dollar EUR=EBS $1.2053 $1.2050 +0.02% -1.35% +$1.2067 +$1.2020
Dollar/Yen JPY=D3 105.1950 105.3550 -0.14% +1.86% +105.6650 +105.1850
Euro/Yen EURJPY= 126.79 126.93 -0.11% -0.10% +127.1200 +126.6500
Dollar/Swiss CHF=EBS 0.8987 0.8986 +0.01% +1.58% +0.9019 +0.8983
Sterling/Dollar GBP=D3 $1.3732 $1.3736 -0.03% +0.51% +$1.3748 +$1.3680
Dollar/Canadian CAD=D3 1.2742 1.2757 -0.10% +0.08% +1.2782 +1.2740
Aussie/Dollar AUD=D3 $0.7701 $0.7679 +0.29% +0.11% +$0.7715 +$0.7652
Euro/Swiss EURCHF= 1.0832 1.0828 +0.04% +0.23% +1.0846 +1.0823
Euro/Sterling EURGBP= 0.8776 0.8767 +0.10% -1.80% +0.8793 +0.8762
NZ NZD=D3 $0.7219 $0.7194 +0.42% +0.60% +$0.7231 +$0.7175
Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway NOK=D3 8.5005 8.5405 -0.23% -0.77% +8.5485 +8.4940
Euro/Norway EURNOK= 10.2473 10.2680 -0.20% -2.10% +10.2890 +10.2430
Dollar/Sweden SEK= 8.3885 8.3576 +0.28% +2.34% +8.4171 +8.3703
Euro/Sweden EURSEK= 10.1115 10.0835 +0.28% +0.35% +10.1186 +10.0828
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World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
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