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FOREX-Euro hit by renewed Greek aid uncertainty

Published 04/26/2010, 07:47 AM
Updated 04/26/2010, 07:52 AM
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* Euro under pressure as Greek/German bond spreads widen

* Euro breaks through $1.33 before trimming losses

* Yen crosses extend gains, Aussie hits 19-mth high

(Adds quote, updates prices)

By Natsuko Waki

LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) - The euro fell across the board on Monday as uncertainty intensified over how and when Greece would get financial aid sought last week to avert a potential sovereign debt default.

The spread between Greek and German 10-year government bond yields hit a new 12-year high of 679 basis points on Monday, indicating market concern over the implementation of the aid package and the conditions attached to it. [ID:nLDE63P0IV]

Comments from Germany, potentially the biggest contributor to any aid package, helped keep markets nervous after Greece on Friday requested an aid package drawn up by the European Union and International Monetary Fund be implemented.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Germany was aiming to free up financial support for Greece before a May 19 deadline, but the opposition Social Democrats said they would not back an accelerated parliamentary process to approve the aid [nBAT005342].

"It's not just about Greece but also what Greece means for the rest of Europe. There's clearly a lack of credibility with the package. It's not clear whether this is going to solve the liquidity issue for Greece," said Michael Hart, currency strategist at Citigroup.

By 1130 GMT, the euro was down half a percent at $1.3313 , having earlier broken through $1.3300. Asian central banks were reported to be buying at that level and $1.3280, providing further support.

The single currency has lost nearly 7 percent against the dollar this year. Data on Friday showed currency speculators boosted net short euro positions in the week ended April 20. [IMM/FX] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

For a graphic on euro positioning, click

http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/0210/EZ_ERCFTC0210.gif ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The euro fell 1 percent on the day against sterling , while the single currency also lost 0.2 percent against the yen at 125.43 yen .

EVENT RISK

The yen faltered against commodity-linked and higher-yielding currencies on expectations for global recovery.

The Canadian dollar hit 94.51 yen , its highest since October 2008, and the Australian dollar rose to a 19-month high of 87.59 yen . Australian markets were closed.

There was also market talk of some yen selling in relation to Japanese mutual funds investing in foreign high-yield bonds launched on Friday, a trader at a Japanese trust bank said.

The U.S. dollar rose a quarter percent to a fresh three-week high of 94.15 yen after last week's robust data reinforced expectations the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates this year.

Near-term, a barrier for the dollar would be 95.10 yen, which is a 61.8 percent retracement from 2009's high at 101.45 yen in April down to a low of 84.82 yen in November.

The dollar index <.DXY>, a gauge of its performance against six major currencies, was up 0.3 percent at 81.586 after touching a one-month high of 82.074 on Friday.

Investors will probably refrain from taking aggressive positions before key events this week including monetary policy meetings at the Fed and the Bank of Japan.

(Reporting by Natsuko Waki and Tamawa Desai)

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