* Stocks, commodities retreat, hitting risk appetite
* Investors lock in profits heading into year-end
* Aussie dollar hits 2-week low against the U.S. currency
(Updates prices, adds comment, changes byline, changes dateline, previous LONDON)
By Wanfeng Zhou
NEW YORK, Nov 19 (Reuters) - The dollar and yen rose on Thursday as declines in stock and commodity markets revived the safe-haven appeal of the U.S. and Japanese currencies.
The euro dropped more than 1 percent against the yen while the higher-yielding, commodity-linked Australian and New Zealand dollars tumbled as traders pared back their exposure to risk.
Analysts said investors were turning cautious heading into the end of the year, wary that the sharp rally in risky assets in recent months may have been overdone and that economic data has not been as rosy as forecast.
"We're running out of gas as far as recovery momentum goes," said Boris Schlossberg, director of currency research at GFT Forex in New York. "People have started to take money off the table as we're getting close to the year-end because they want to make sure they can lock in all the profits they had on the long side."
A senior economic advisor to the German government highlighted uncertainty about the global economy as he told Reuters Television that Germany could face a double-dip recession in late 2010 or early 2011 as extra public spending is withdrawn. [ID:nWEA1984]
"There are some indications of a rise in risk aversion - stocks have come off, and there are slight concerns that a lot of data recently has not been living up to expectations," Standard Bank currency analyst Steve Barrow said.
In early New York trading, The euro fell 0.5 percent to
$1.4884
The single euro zone currency also slid to a more than
two-week low of 131.76 yen
The dollar fell 0.7 percent
RISKY ASSETS PULL BACK
U.S. stocks <.SPX> opened lower and oil
Investors were also wary of talk from emerging market countries about capital controls to limit some of the hot money flows into their economies, with new steps announced by Brazil and South Korea. [ID:nN18128104] [ID:nSEO366]
The ICE Futures U.S. dollar index <.DXY>, a measure of the greenback versus a basket of six currencies, rose 0.3 percent to 75.384. The index hit a 15-month low of 74.679 early this week.
Federal Reserve officials on Thursday downplayed the consequences of the falling U.S. dollar, underscoring that deflation is still a threat, especially with commercial real estate prices falling. For details, see [ID:nHKG266471].
The Australian dollar fell to a two-week low and last
traded 1 percent lower at US$0.9202
Analysts said comments from the main opposition party leader in New Zealand that it would seek to change a policy that sets the central bank's main role as controlling inflation through interest rates added to the currency's fall. See [ID:nWEL486009] (Additional reporting by Jessica Mortimer; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)