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FOREX-Dollar hits 14-mth lows, rebounds on Goldman

Published 10/15/2009, 08:34 AM
Updated 10/15/2009, 08:39 AM
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* Dollar index erases losses, up 0.1 pct at 75.643 <.DXY>

* Goldman Sachs results help dollar reclaim some losses

* Dollar hit 14-month low vs forex basket

* Dovish U.S. FOMC minutes weigh on dollar

By Catherine Bosley

LONDON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - The dollar recovered from 14-month lows on Thursday as stocks fell after more U.S. bank earnings, but the greenback remained pressured on expectations U.S. interest rates would remain low.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with third quarter earnings per share of $5.25 versus forecasts of $4.24. [nN15288862]

But European stocks pared gains as the results were weaker than some in the market had hoped.

"(Goldman has) taken U.S. stock futures lower and at the moment provided a little of respite from the plethora of dollar-selling interest," said Jeremy Stretch, currency strategist at Rabobank.

"It's still the case that everything's about stocks, and stocks expectations and risk appetite. Goldman's failing to beat what were very, very lofty expectations has taken us back somewhat in euro/dollar in the short term."

U.S. stock index futures fell further after Citigroup Inc reported a quarterly shareholder loss, but the results did not greatly affect the foreign exchange market.

The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was up 0.12 percent at 75.643, after hitting a session high of 75.765. It had fallen to a 14-month low of 75.211 <.DXY> earlier.

EURO HITS 14-MONTH HIGH THEN SLIDES

The euro hit a day's low after European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet repeated the euro was not created to be a global reserve currency.

The euro fell as low as $1.4844 according to Reuters data, down 0.4 percent on the day and retreating from a 14-month high hit in earlier trade.

Sterling pared some gains but was still broadly higher on the day, prompted by short-covering after investors had boosted short sterling positions that helped push the pound to a five-month low earlier this week, traders said.

Bank of England policymaker Paul Fisher told the Financial Times he felt more confident the central bank's asset purchase programme was working. [ID:nLE413216]

But analysts said they expected further dollar weakness after the latest minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve Open Market Committee, showed that some policymakers called for increasing asset purchases. [ID:nWEQ003473]

"There's obviously very low interest rates in the States and there's no sign they're going any time soon, listening to the Fed and their minutes last night," said Chris Turner, head of foreign exchange strategy at ING in London.

"Today's very modes correction from new lows is nothing serious for the dollar bear trend."

Simon Derrick of Bank of New York Mellon said reports of Asian central banks intervening to keep their currencies from appreciating had not lifted the dollar, because the market anticipated some of the dollars would be converted into euros.

Hong Kong's central bank sold HK$1.5 billion ($200 million) to keep the Hong Kong dollar within its trading band. [ID:nHKG105478]

The greenback earlier fell to 14-month lows against the higher-yielding Australian dollar and a 15-month trough versus the New Zealand and Canada dollars.

Reserve Bank of Australia chief Glenn Stevens said local interest rates would need to move towards a more normal setting as economic recovery took hold, reinforcing the view rates would be hiked for a second consecutive month in November. [ID:nSYD397384]

(Additional reporting by Tamawa Desai; Editing by Mike Peacock)

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