Investing.com - The euro gained ground against the other major currencies on Thursday, as demand for the single currency was boosted by optimism that a downgrade on Spain by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s would force the country into requesting a bailout.
During European early afternoon trade, the euro pushed higher against the U.S. dollar, with EUR/USD rising 0.30% to 1.2913.
Pressure on Spain to seek a bailout mounted after S&P cut the country’s credit rating to BBB-minus with a negative outlook late Wednesday, just one notch above junk status, citing “mounting risks to Spain’s public finances.”
The ratings agency also warned that the capacity of Spanish political institutions to deal with the challenges presented by the current fiscal and economic crisis is declining.
Sentiment on the euro has been hit in recent days by ongoing uncertainty over Spain’s position on requesting external financial aid and what form a bailout would take.
Earlier Thursday, Italy saw borrowing costs rise to the highest level since mid-July at an auction of three-year government bonds, reflecting unease over the risk of contagion from Spain.
The single currency also found support after International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde said struggling euro zone members such as Greece and Spain should be given more time to cut their budget deficits.
The single currency was also higher against the pound, with EUR/GBP easing up 0.14% to 0.8054.
The euro strengthened against the yen, with EUR/JPY climbing 0.56% to 101.20, but remained fractionally lower against the Swiss franc, with EUR/CHF dipping 0.07% to 1.2084.
The minutes of the Bank of Japan’s September meeting published earlier indicated that some policymakers were leaning towards more aggressive easing measures, boosting expectations that the central bank may ease policy again later this month.
The BoJ increased the size of its asset purchase program by JPY10 trillion last month.
Meanwhile, official data showed that machinery orders fell for the first time in three months in August, underlining concerns over Japan’s fragile economic recovery.
The shared currency was mixed against the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian dollars, with EUR/AUD down 0.13% to 1.2564, EUR/NZD inching up 0.09% to 1.5784 and EUR/CAD inching up 0.03% to 1.2644.
The Australian dollar found support after official data showed that the country’s economy added 14,500 jobs in September, easily beating expectations for an increase of 3,800.
The country’s unemployment rate ticked up to 5.4% in September, against expectations for an increase to 5.3%, from 5.1% in August.
Later Thursday, the U.S. was to publish government data on the trade balance, in addition to official data on initial jobless claims and crude oil stockpiles.
During European early afternoon trade, the euro pushed higher against the U.S. dollar, with EUR/USD rising 0.30% to 1.2913.
Pressure on Spain to seek a bailout mounted after S&P cut the country’s credit rating to BBB-minus with a negative outlook late Wednesday, just one notch above junk status, citing “mounting risks to Spain’s public finances.”
The ratings agency also warned that the capacity of Spanish political institutions to deal with the challenges presented by the current fiscal and economic crisis is declining.
Sentiment on the euro has been hit in recent days by ongoing uncertainty over Spain’s position on requesting external financial aid and what form a bailout would take.
Earlier Thursday, Italy saw borrowing costs rise to the highest level since mid-July at an auction of three-year government bonds, reflecting unease over the risk of contagion from Spain.
The single currency also found support after International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde said struggling euro zone members such as Greece and Spain should be given more time to cut their budget deficits.
The single currency was also higher against the pound, with EUR/GBP easing up 0.14% to 0.8054.
The euro strengthened against the yen, with EUR/JPY climbing 0.56% to 101.20, but remained fractionally lower against the Swiss franc, with EUR/CHF dipping 0.07% to 1.2084.
The minutes of the Bank of Japan’s September meeting published earlier indicated that some policymakers were leaning towards more aggressive easing measures, boosting expectations that the central bank may ease policy again later this month.
The BoJ increased the size of its asset purchase program by JPY10 trillion last month.
Meanwhile, official data showed that machinery orders fell for the first time in three months in August, underlining concerns over Japan’s fragile economic recovery.
The shared currency was mixed against the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian dollars, with EUR/AUD down 0.13% to 1.2564, EUR/NZD inching up 0.09% to 1.5784 and EUR/CAD inching up 0.03% to 1.2644.
The Australian dollar found support after official data showed that the country’s economy added 14,500 jobs in September, easily beating expectations for an increase of 3,800.
The country’s unemployment rate ticked up to 5.4% in September, against expectations for an increase to 5.3%, from 5.1% in August.
Later Thursday, the U.S. was to publish government data on the trade balance, in addition to official data on initial jobless claims and crude oil stockpiles.