Euro Drops Against Major Peers Before Spain Debt Auctions

The euro fell to less than .30 for the first time in two months as Spanish bond yields touched a 2012 high after a minister called on the European Central Bank to do more to stem debt-market turmoil.

The 17-nation currency dropped for a second day against the yen and reached the lowest since 2010 versus the pound. The yen strengthened against all of its 16 most-traded counterparts. China’s yuan weakened as the central bank widened the currency’s trading band. Higher-yielding currencies trimmed losses against the dollar after U.S. retail sales rose in March and yields on Spanish government securities pared increases.

“There’s still a hesitation with respect to trading in European bond markets,” said Nick Bennenbroek, head of currency strategy at Wells Fargo & Co. in New York. “The U.S. data was a little bit better than expected. It’s causing a minor risk-on rally.”

The euro fell 0.3 percent to .3040 at 9:59 a.m. in New York after dropping to .2995, the weakest since Feb. 16. The shared currency weakened 0.7 percent to 105.12 yen after declining 0.8 percent on April 13. The euro slipped 0.2 percent to 82.35 U.K. pence after reaching 82.10 pence, the lowest since September 2010. The yen rose 0.4 percent to 80.58 per dollar.

Source | Forex News Paper | http://forexnewspaper.blogspot.com/2012/04/euro-drops-against-major-peers-before.html

Yen Gains Versus Peers Before Italy Debt Sale

The yen climbed against all of its major counterparts amid concern the bailout of Spain’s banks will move Italy to the forefront of the debt crisis, spurring demand for the Japanese currency as a haven.

The 17-nation euro remained lower versus the dollar following a three-day slide before Italy auctions debt this week and Greeks vote in a general election on June 17. The euro climbed early yesterday after Spain asked European governments for as much as 100 billion euros (5 billion) to save its banking system, making it the fourth member of the currency bloc to seek a rescue.

“There is no conviction and there is no belief that things are going to get better” in the euro region, said Kurt Magnus, executive director of currency sales in Sydney at Nomura Holdings Inc., Japan’s biggest brokerage. “This is the reason we’re seeing the U.S. dollar and yen so well bid.”

The yen climbed 0.3 percent to 98.86 per euro as of 10 a.m. in Tokyo from the close in New York yesterday. It gained 0.3 percent to 79.20 against the dollar. The euro traded at .2483 after falling 0.3 percent to .2482 yesterday.

Italy’s 10-year debt dropped yesterday as the yields climbed 26 basis points, the most since Dec. 8, to 6.03 percent. The nation is scheduled to auction securities on June 14 maturing in 2015, 2019 and 2020.
Italian banks led a decline in European stocks yesterday, with UniCredit SpA (UCG), the country’s largest lender, losing 8.8 percent and Intesa Sanpaolo SpA (ISP), the second largest, sliding 5.9 percent. The nation’s debt load is the heaviest in the euro region after Greece’s, as measured by its ratio to annual economic output, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Source | Forex News Paper | http://forexnewspaper.blogspot.com/2012/06/yen-gains-versus-peers-before-italy.html