Investing.com - The U.S. dollar added to gains against almost all of its major counterparts on Thursday, as market sentiment was hit after Eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker said talks with private bondholders on a debt restructuring plan for Greece were “ultra-difficult”.
During European afternoon trade, the dollar was higher against the euro, with EUR/USD shedding 0.50% to hit 1.3095.
The euro slipped against the greenback earlier as investors remained wary of pushing the currency too high in the absence of an announcement on a debt restructuring deal for Greece.
Earlier in the week, European officials indicated that negotiations with Greece’s private creditors on a debt writedown are almost concluded, but concerns have persisted that the debt swap deal will not go far enough to reduce the country’s debt load.
Adding to difficulties, a second bailout and any public sector involvement must also be agreed upon before a deal can be announced.
An agreement is necessary for Greece to secure its next tranche of bailout funds in order to avoid a default when a EUR14.5 billion bond repayment comes due on March 20.
Meanwhile, Spain’s Treasury auctioned EUR4.5 billion of medium term debt earlier, at much lower yields than previously, while France sold EUR8 billion of government debt in an auction which met with solid investor demand and lower yields.
Also Thursday, official data showed that producer price inflation in the euro zone fell in December, declining 0.2% after rising by 0.2% in November.
Year-over-year, PPI rose at a rate of 4.3% in December, in line with expectations, after advancing at a rate of 5.4% in November.
The greenback was slightly higher against the pound, with GBP/USD slipping 0.10% to hit 1.5817.
In the U.K., data showed that the construction sector expanded in January, albeit at a weaker-than-forecast pace, as growth in new orders slowed and some existing contracts were completed.
The greenback remained close to a three-month low against the yen but advanced against the Swiss franc, with USD/JPY losing 0.16% to hit 76.08 and USD/CHF rising 0.50% to hit 0.9199.
Earlier in the day, official data showed that Switzerland’s trade surplus narrowed to CHF2.07 billion in December; from CHF2.95 billion the previous month as exports declined, hit by the ongoing crisis in the euro zone.
Meanwhile, Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi reiterated that he remains prepared to take firm measures against the appreciation of the yen if necessary.
In addition, the greenback eased up against its Canadian, Australian and New Zealand counterparts, with USD/CAD rising 0.17% to hit 1.0002, AUD/USD dipping 0.09% to hit 1.0694 and NZD/USD inching down 0.04% to hit 0.8320.
The Australian dollar was boosted earlier after the country posted a larger-than-expected AUD1.71 billion trade surplus in December, beating expectations for a surplus of AUD1.2 billion.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, added 0.24% to hit 79.22.
Later in the day, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was to testify before the House of Representatives budget committee. The U.S. was also to produce government data on initial jobless claims.
During European afternoon trade, the dollar was higher against the euro, with EUR/USD shedding 0.50% to hit 1.3095.
The euro slipped against the greenback earlier as investors remained wary of pushing the currency too high in the absence of an announcement on a debt restructuring deal for Greece.
Earlier in the week, European officials indicated that negotiations with Greece’s private creditors on a debt writedown are almost concluded, but concerns have persisted that the debt swap deal will not go far enough to reduce the country’s debt load.
Adding to difficulties, a second bailout and any public sector involvement must also be agreed upon before a deal can be announced.
An agreement is necessary for Greece to secure its next tranche of bailout funds in order to avoid a default when a EUR14.5 billion bond repayment comes due on March 20.
Meanwhile, Spain’s Treasury auctioned EUR4.5 billion of medium term debt earlier, at much lower yields than previously, while France sold EUR8 billion of government debt in an auction which met with solid investor demand and lower yields.
Also Thursday, official data showed that producer price inflation in the euro zone fell in December, declining 0.2% after rising by 0.2% in November.
Year-over-year, PPI rose at a rate of 4.3% in December, in line with expectations, after advancing at a rate of 5.4% in November.
The greenback was slightly higher against the pound, with GBP/USD slipping 0.10% to hit 1.5817.
In the U.K., data showed that the construction sector expanded in January, albeit at a weaker-than-forecast pace, as growth in new orders slowed and some existing contracts were completed.
The greenback remained close to a three-month low against the yen but advanced against the Swiss franc, with USD/JPY losing 0.16% to hit 76.08 and USD/CHF rising 0.50% to hit 0.9199.
Earlier in the day, official data showed that Switzerland’s trade surplus narrowed to CHF2.07 billion in December; from CHF2.95 billion the previous month as exports declined, hit by the ongoing crisis in the euro zone.
Meanwhile, Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi reiterated that he remains prepared to take firm measures against the appreciation of the yen if necessary.
In addition, the greenback eased up against its Canadian, Australian and New Zealand counterparts, with USD/CAD rising 0.17% to hit 1.0002, AUD/USD dipping 0.09% to hit 1.0694 and NZD/USD inching down 0.04% to hit 0.8320.
The Australian dollar was boosted earlier after the country posted a larger-than-expected AUD1.71 billion trade surplus in December, beating expectations for a surplus of AUD1.2 billion.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, added 0.24% to hit 79.22.
Later in the day, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was to testify before the House of Representatives budget committee. The U.S. was also to produce government data on initial jobless claims.