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FOREX-US dollar falls as Dubai outlook improves; yen down

Published 12/01/2009, 12:13 PM
Updated 12/01/2009, 12:18 PM
EUR/JPY
-

* Waning Dubai concerns, RBA hike sharpen risk appetite

* Yen falls after BOJ announces new easing measures

* Positive euro zone data adds to bullish global view (Adds comment, updates prices)

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss

NEW YORK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - The dollar slid on Tuesday as waning worries about Dubai's debt, Australia's interest rate hike and European economic data dimmed the greenback's safe-haven allure and investors sought higher returns.

The yen weakened broadly after the Bank of Japan announced more monetary easing measures to fight deflation and help the ailing economy while holding interest rates at 0.1 percent.

But the Dubai story and its impact on risk sentiment remained the focus of the market.

News overnight that government-owned Dubai World will restructure about $26 billion of its estimated $59 billion debt calmed the market's fears about another credit meltdown.

"What we're seeing is a return to prior trends -- risk appetite up, the dollar is down," said Nick Bennenbroek, head of currency strategy at Wells Fargo in New York.

"It seems that the anxiety about the Dubai situation has dissipated and therefore we're seeing gains in U.S. and European stocks."

In addition, the Reserve Bank of Australia's move to raise interest rates for a third straight month to 3.75 percent fed the market's appetite for risk, along with reports showing better-than-expected European manufacturing data and strong German retail sales. For more details, see [ID:nGEE5B00BY] and [ID:nGEE5B00M0].

Global stocks, as a result, climbed and the euro and higher-yielding currencies such as the Australian dollar gained, with European shares up 2 percent <.FTEU3> and Wall Street indices <.SPX> up more than 1 percent.

"As economic data continue to surprise to the upside, the recovery bulls have the upper hand and this is good for risk appetite and bad for the dollar," said Boris Schlossberg, director of FX research at GFT in New York.

EURO GAINS SUSTAINED ABOVE $1.50

In midday trading, the euro rose 0.7 percent to $1.5093 while the ICE Futures dollar index fell 0.7 percent to 74.346 <.DXY>.

The Australian dollar rose 0.9 percent to US$0.9228 , although gains have been limited as most analysts think the RBA would pause after Tuesday's rate increase. [ID:nGEE5B006X].

Against the yen, the dollar was up 0.4 percent at 86.64 yen. The dollar in recent sessions fell to 84.82 yen, according to EBS data, for the first time since mid-1995 as dollar interbank borrowing costs fell below those for the yen.

The dollar's fortunes against the Japanese currency turned after the BOJ said it will provide 10 trillion yen in three-month funds at a fixed rate of 0.1 percent in a bid to bring down longer-term rates.

Political pressure on the BOJ to avert recession has grown, but Tuesday's decision was seen as a way to avoid a return to a narrow form of quantitative easing, under which the BOJ slashed rates to zero and flooded markets with cash in 2001-2006.

The euro rose 0.9 percent to 130.78 yen .

Marc Chandler, global head of currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman in New York, said that overall, the BoJ moves will not be enough to slow yen buying versus the dollar in the long term.

"The new liquidity provision has not driven short-term yen rates sharply lower and yen longs have not been put in sufficient pain to force them to liquidate," he said.

The dollar briefly trimmed gains versus the yen after a U.S. manufacturing index declined in November from the previous month. [ID:nWEN7001].

(Editing by Kenneth Barry)

((gertrude.chavez@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223 6322; Reuters Messaging: gertrude.chavez.reuters.com@reuters.net))

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