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FOREX-Euro slides broadly; Swiss franc hits record high

Published 06/28/2010, 10:04 AM
Updated 06/28/2010, 10:06 AM
EUR/CHF
-

* Swiss franc hits record high against euro

* G20 little impact on FX as meeting yield no surprise

* U.S. consumer spending, incomes rise in May

(Adds comments, details. Changes byline and dateline, previous LONDON)

By Vivianne Rodrigues

NEW YORK, June 28 (Reuters) - The euro fell broadly on Monday as potential funding tensions in Europe this week weighed on the single currency, while the Swiss franc rallied on the view its strength was not hurting the Swiss economy.

The euro faces downward pressure in coming days, as the European Central Bank's one-year loans worth 442 billion euros expired and the currency failed to make headway after a G20 summit.

Investors favored the Swiss franc, which hit a record high against the euro and an eight-week peak versus the U.S. dollar.

Swiss National Bank board member Jean-Pierre Danthine was quoted in the l'agefi newspaper as saying deflationary risks have disappeared and Swiss exports have proven to be robust despite a stronger currency. For details see [ID:nWEA7639].

In the United States, the dollar showed little reaction to a report showing consumer spending rose slightly more than expected in May even as savings touched their highest level in eight months. [ID:nN25167386]

"The data will have little impact on a currency market where all the attention is on the euro crosses," said Alan Ruskin, head of currency strategy at RBS Global Banking & Markets.

"Euro/Swiss franc continues to power lower now that the SNB has squarely chosen its inflation objective over an exchange rate intermediary target that led to ballooning domestic liquidity," he added.

In morning trading in New York, the euro fell 1.1 percent to a record low 1.3373 franc . Danthine's comments came after the SNB had backed off a pledge to fight excessive appreciation of the franc earlier this month.

The single currency slid 0.4 percent to $1.2327 . Near-term resistance was seen at $1.2490, the high struck on June 21, with support forming around Friday's low of $1.2254.

Option barriers were cited around $1.2400, traders said.

The dollar index <.DXY>, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was 0.2 percent higher at 85.48, holding above last week's low of 85.09, which was seen as near-term support.

A fall below that level would take the index to its weakest since mid-May. Support below that was seen near the 55-day moving average at 84.80.

G20, PAYROLLS DATA

The market showed little reaction to a G20 leaders' summit where they agreed to take different paths to cutting budget deficits, a reflection of the uneven and fragile economic recovery in many countries. [ID:nN26228300]

Analysts said U.S. non-farm payrolls due on Friday will add more clarity on the state of the world's largest economy after data showed on Friday that its growth in the first quarter was slower than previously reported, while China's PMI data is due on Thursday.

"The market is not taking too many aggressive positions right now, just waiting for the next chapter of the global growth story," said Chris Turner, head of forex strategy at ING.

The latest data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed currency speculators slightly trimmed bets on the greenback and went long on the yen in the week to June 22. Net euro short positions against the dollar increased. [IMM/FX] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Graphic on net U.S. dollar long positions http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/10/CFTC_CURR.html ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Against the yen, the dollar was little changed at 89.28 yen , not far from a five-week low of 89.21 hit on Friday after first quarter U.S. growth data was revised down.

The dollar got some support in Asia from expectations that bids were sitting below 89.00 yen, but options triggers below 89.00 yen could take it lower, traders said.

(Additional reporting by Tamawa Desai in London; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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