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Dollar edges up after Trump-fuelled sell-off

By AFP
01 February 2017   |   6:55 am
The dollar on Wednesday staged a small recovery from a hefty sell-off that came after Donald Trump and one of his key economic advisers hit out at other nations using their weaker currencies to gain a trade advantage.
Dollars

Dollars

The dollar on Wednesday staged a small recovery from a hefty sell-off that came after Donald Trump and one of his key economic advisers hit out at other nations using their weaker currencies to gain a trade advantage.

The outbursts are the latest from the unpredictable administration that has spooked global markets and fuelled a wave of uncertainty, leading traders to seek out safe investments.

Peter Navarro, who advised Trump during the campaign and heads the White House’s new National Trade Council, said in an interview with the Financial Times that Germany “continues to exploit other countries in the EU as well as the US with an ‘implicit Deutsche mark’ that is grossly undervalued”.

Later, Trump told a meeting of business executives that China and Japan had “played the money market and the devaluation market”, suggesting they had been keeping their currencies weak to boost trade.

The comments sent the yen and euro surging against the dollar Tuesday. The US unit clawed back slightly Wednesday although most high-yielding currencies, including the South Korean won, Australian dollar and Indonesian rupiah, held gains.

The greenback’s struggles this week are a far cry from the rally that followed Trump’s November election win, when investors bet his plans to cut taxes and spend big on infrastructure would fire the US economy, stoke inflation and lead to interest rate hikes.

– ‘No one is safe’ –
While the tycoon will likely press on with those measures, the latest remarks added to worries that the White House is intent on pursuing a protectionist agenda that many warn could lead to a global trade war.

“It appears that no one is safe, friend or foe from the wrath of this new US administration when it comes to trade,” Stephen Innes, senior trader at OANDA, said in a note.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei ended a volatile day 0.6 percent higher, boosted by the dip in the yen and bargain-buying two days of big losses.

Hong Kong was down 0.7 percent in the afternoon, with dealers brushing off data showing Chinese factory activity expanded last month, suggesting the world’s number two economy is stabilising.

Sydney closed 0.6 percent higher, while Singapore rose 0.2 percent and Wellington added 0.1 percent.

Markets started the week in the red after Trump’s much-criticised executive order Friday banning entry to travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries and imposing a temporary ban on refugees.

And while Asia enjoyed a pick-up, Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at CFD and FX provider AxiTrader, warned: “As uncertainty grows and investors recognise there are some uncertainties around Trumponomics and the reflation of the US economy — they are taking some cash off the table.”

– Key figures around 0600 GMT –
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.6 at 19,148.08 (close)

Hong Kong – Hang Seng: DOWN 0.7 percent at 23,195.21

Shanghai – Composite: Closed for holiday

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0790 from $1.0797

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2573 from $1.2576

Dollar/yen: UP at 113.20 yen from 112.85 yen

Oil – West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 10 cents at $52.70 per barrel

Oil – Brent North Sea: DOWN 15 cents at $55.43

New York – Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent at 19,864.09 (close)

London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.3 percent at 7,099.15 (close)

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