🐂 Not all bull runs are created equal. November’s AI picks include 5 stocks up +20% eachUnlock Stocks

FOREX-Yen up as shares fall; Bernanke 2nd term no surprise

Published 08/24/2009, 11:06 PM
Updated 08/24/2009, 11:09 PM

* Yen gains as Asian stocks fall, dollar slips

* Higher yielders also fall vs yen

* White House to reappoint Bernanke on Tuesday

By Charlotte Cooper

TOKYO, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The yen headed higher on Tuesday as share markets fell and investor interest in higher yielding currencies ebbed, while currencies took in their stride news that Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke would be reappointed.

A U.S. administration official said President Barack Obama would reappoint Bernanke for a second term as Fed chairman on Tuesday.

The dollar showed little reaction to the news as market participants had thought there was a good chance Bernanke would be given a second term to reassure financial markets as they recover from the global economic crisis, analysts said.

"I don't think there will be any major impact, but it should be positive for markets such as the stock and bond markets in the sense that an element of uncertainty has been removed," said Takahide Nagasaki, chief FX strategist at Daiwa Securities SMBC.

Currencies are still watching share markets for a guide to investor appetite in riskier assets.

Stocks in Asia, already soft after a lacklustre day on Wall Street, dipped deeper into the red as Shanghai's share index fell 3 percent, after Premier Wen Jiabao said China would keep monetary policy loose as the economy faces fresh difficulties.

The low-yielding yen tends to gain when stocks and higher-yielding currencies fall or when weak economic data highlights a long and uncertain road for global recovery.

"The lack of upward momentum in equities and risky currencies may reflect a degree of fatigue and simply a lot of the good news is in the price," said a trader at a European bank in Tokyo.

"It is pretty clear monetary policy will be supportive with little risk of genuine policy tightening for some time in the major economies."

The dollar fell 0.5 percent on the day to 94.13 yen although it remained above last week's one-month low at 93.42.

Dealers noted the spread between the 3-month dollar and yen London interbank offered rates had inverted for the first time in 16 years, with the dollar interbank rate dropping to a fresh record low of 0.38688 percent on Monday and the yen rate standing at 0.38875 percent.

A trader said the Libor rates were not not impacting dollar/yen as such but the pair were sensitive to rate changes because both had official rates close to zero.

The euro fell 0.7 percent to 134.28 yen and the Australian dollar dropped 0.8 percent to 78.45 yen after climbing to its highest in a week on Monday, just below 80.00 yen. The New Zealand dollar fell 0.6 percent to 64.24 yen.

The Aussie also slipped 0.4 percent to $0.8347, but the New Zealand dollar eased just 0.1 percent to $0.6839, holding close to this month's 11-month high at $0.6888.

The euro also edged down 0.1 percent to $1.4288.

The Standard & Poor's Case/Shiller report on U.S. house prices for June is due for release later, as is a report on U.S. consumer confidence in August.

Both will be watched for clues about the economic recovery.

The market will also be watching for revised second-quarter German gross domestic product data, as well as the first of three U.S. Treasury bond auctions slated for this week.

First up is a $42 billion two-year auction, to be followed by a $39 billion five-year sale on Wednesday and a $28 billion seven-year auction a day later.

Analysts say a tepid response could highlight the vulnerability of the United States' fiscal position and might be a drag on the greenback. (Additional reporting by Masayuki Kitano in Tokyo and Anirban Nag in Sydney; Editing by Joseph Radford)

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.