(Changes dateline, byline, adds comment, updates prices)
By Jamie McGeever
LONDON, May 26 (Reuters) - The dollar held its ground on Monday, taking advantage of the ultra-thin volumes owing to U.S. and UK market holidays to arrest its decline of the last three weeks and eke out slender gains against a basket of major currencies.
"This is only due to the iliquid markets," said Carole Laulhere, currency strategist at Societe Generale in Paris.
"The dollar should stay quite vulnerable this week. We still have record oil prices, which is negative for the dollar, and U.S. equity markets are worsening, which is also a concern for the greenback."
Crude oil has soared almost 40 percent so far this year -- over 17 percent in May alone -- to record levels above $135 a barrel <CLc1>. This is fanning fears over the ability of U.S. consumers and businesses to weather the credit- and housing market-led economic storm and prevent the economy from sliding into full-blown recession.
The dollar index hit a one-month low last Thursday, and the S&P 500 equity index posted its biggest one-week decline since early February.
Deteriorating equity markets and rampant oil prices -- which provide the backdrop for the latest euro zone consumer price inflation figures this week -- should be the focus for currency investors this week, Laulhere said.
At 0930 GMT the dollar index was up a slender 0.1 percent on the day at 72.065 <.DXY>, but still within sight of one-month lows of 71.823 struck last week.
The euro was at $1.5745 <EUR=>, down 0.1 percent from late U.S. trading on Friday but less than three cents from its all-time highs above $1.60 last month.
The dollar was also up 0.1 percent on the day against the Japanese yen at 103.45 yen <JPY=>.
A 2.3 percent fall in Tokyo stocks -- the steepest in six weeks -- had prompted investors to unwind yield-seeking carry trades, pushing the dollar to the day's low around 103.15 yen before bids at 103 yen and just below provided solid support.
INFLATION DATA IN FOCUS
There are no major economic data reports due for release on Monday. Financial markets in the United States and the UK are closed for Memorial Day and a bank holiday, respectively, although European markets are open.
Among the main data points this week will be the flash estimate for May euro zone CPI on Friday. A Reuters poll of economists points to an uptick in the annual inflation rate to 3.5 percent from 3.3 percent, well above the European Central Bank's target of close to but just below 2 percent.
Investors also await a raft of U.S. data and speeches from top Federal Reserve officials, including Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday, for more clues about the direction of interest rates.
The personal consumption expenditures index for April is due on Friday. It includes the core PCE price index, which excludes food and energy costs and is one of the Fed's favourite measures of inflation.
Other key economic reports due this week include the National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago business barometer for May, and April new home sales.
The ECB's hawkish talk has seen markets shift dramatically in recent weeks to now fully price in a quarter point rate hike to 4.25 percent by October, BNP Paribas strategists noted.
While fed funds futures are almost fully pricing in a similar rate hike from the Fed by the end of the year to 2.25 percent, deteriorating economic conditions might prompt a rethink.
"The dollar is likely to trade on the soft side unless the market decides to unwind its risk-taking positions on heightened risk aversion," BNP Paribas said in a client note. (Editing by Stephen Nisbet) ((Reuters Messaging: jamie.mcgeever.reuters.com@reuters.net; +44 207 542 8510))
By Rika Otsuka
TOKYO, May 26 (Reuters) - The dollar eased towards one-month lows against a basket of major currencies on Monday after falling late last week on concerns that surging oil prices could further slow the U.S. economy and add to inflation pressures.
Trading in Asia was subdued, with many investors retreating to the sidelines as U.S. and U.K. financial markets are closed for national holidays on Monday.
"The dollar continues to stay on a downward trend with many players just looking for a chance to sell it," said Tsutomu Soma, senior manager of foreign assets at Okasan Securities.
"Investors are very nervous, wondering how the Federal Reserve will manoeuvre monetary policy amid an economic downturn and worsening inflation worries," Soma said.
With crude oil climbing above $135 a barrel last week, markets have priced out the chances of another Fed rate cut this year, through a rate increase may be difficult at a time when the world's biggest economy is facing slower growth.
The Fed is expected to halt its run of interest rate cuts to bolster the country's growth after slashing rates by 3.25 percentage points since last September to the current 2 percent.
The dollar index edged down 0.1 percent on the day at 71.888 <.DXY>, hovering near one-month lows of 71.823 struck last week.
The euro rose to $1.5790 <EUR=>, up 0.2 percent from late U.S. trading on Friday. It hit all-time highs above $1.60 last month.
The dollar slid 0.2 percent against the Japanese currency to 103.15 yen <JPY=> as a fall in Tokyo stocks prompted investors to unwind risky carry trades. In carry trades, low-yielding currencies such as the yen are used to finance purchases of assets offering higher returns elsewhere.
The Nikkei stock average <.N225> fell 1.6 percent in early Asian trade.
The European single currency dipped 0.1 percent to 162.85 yen <EURJPY=>.
U.S. crude <CLc1> rose $0.38 to $132.57 on Monday after soaring to a record high of $135.09 last week. (Editing by Chris Gallagher) ((rika.otsuka@reuters.com; +81-3-6441-1874; Reuters Messaging: rika.otsuka.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: MARKETS FOREX
By Rika Otsuka
TOKYO, May 26 (Reuters) - The dollar eased towards one-month lows against a basket of major currencies on Monday after falling late last week on concerns that surging oil prices could further slow the U.S. economy and add to inflation pressures.
Trading in Asia was subdued, with many investors retreating to the sidelines as U.S. and U.K. financial markets are closed for national holidays on Monday.
"The dollar continues to stay on a downward trend with many players just looking for a chance to sell it," said Tsutomu Soma, senior manager of foreign assets at Okasan Securities.
"Investors are very nervous, wondering how the Federal Reserve will manoeuvre monetary policy amid an economic downturn and worsening inflation worries," Soma said.
With crude oil climbing above $135 a barrel last week, markets have priced out the chances of another Fed rate cut this year, through a rate increase may be difficult at a time when the world's biggest economy is facing slower growth.
The Fed is expected to halt its run of interest rate cuts to bolster the country's growth after slashing rates by 3.25 percentage points since last September to the current 2 percent.
The dollar index edged down 0.1 percent on the day at 71.888 <.DXY>, hovering near one-month lows of 71.823 struck last week.
The euro rose to $1.5790 <EUR=>, up 0.2 percent from late U.S. trading on Friday. It hit all-time highs above $1.60 last month.
The dollar slid 0.2 percent against the Japanese currency to 103.15 yen <JPY=> as a fall in Tokyo stocks prompted investors to unwind risky carry trades. In carry trades, low-yielding currencies such as the yen are used to finance purchases of assets offering higher returns elsewhere.
The Nikkei stock average <.N225> fell 1.6 percent in early Asian trade.
The European single currency dipped 0.1 percent to 162.85 yen <EURJPY=>.
U.S. crude <CLc1> rose $0.38 to $132.57 on Monday after soaring to a record high of $135.09 last week. (Editing by Chris Gallagher) ((rika.otsuka@reuters.com; +81-3-6441-1874; Reuters Messaging: rika.otsuka.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: MARKETS FOREX
All data taken from Reuters calculated from the levels at
2130 GMT in the previous New York session.
Last US Close Pct YTD Pct 2007
May 23 Change Change Close
-------------------------------------------------------------
Euro/dlr <EUR=> 1.5785 1.5764 +0.13 +8.20 1.4589
Dlr/yen <JPY=> 103.16 103.30 -0.14 -7.34 111.33
Euro/yen <EURJPY=R> 162.86 162.84 +0.01 +0.29 162.39
Dlr/swiss <CHF=> 1.0235 1.0236 -0.01 -9.70 1.1335
Stg/dlr <GBP=> 1.9815 1.9795 +0.10 -0.16 1.9847
Dlr/cad <CAD=> 0.9876 0.9894 -0.18 -0.88 0.9964
Aus/dlr <AUD=> 0.9594 0.9593 +0.01 +9.56 0.8757
Nzd/dlr <NZD=> 0.7852 0.7843 +0.11 +2.43 0.7666
Aus/yen <AUDJPY=R> 98.970 99.100 -0.13 +1.55 97.460
Nzd/yen <NZDJPY=R> 81.010 81.020 -0.01 -5.03 85.300
Stg/yen <GBPJPY=R> 204.42 204.50 -0.04 -7.59 221.22
Aus/Nzd <AUDNZD=R> 1.2204 1.2222 -0.15 +6.90 1.1416
All spots <FX=>
Asia spots <AFX=>
Europe spots <EFX=>
Volatilities <FXVOL>
Japan capital flows data [JP/CAP]
Latest uridashi bond issues [JP/URD]
World central bank news [CEN]
Economic Forecasts <ECON> Official rates [INT/RATE]
Forex Diary [MI/DIARY] Top events [M/DIARY]
Diaries [DIARY] Diaries Index [IND/DIARY]
Press Digests [PRESS] Polls on G7 economies [SURVEY/]
European markets [MARKETS/]
Keywords: MARKETS FOREX=2
(Changes byline, adds comment, updates prices)
By Toni Vorobyova
LONDON, May 23 (Reuters) - The dollar looked set for its steepest weekly fall against a basket of major currencies in two months on Friday, hit by surging oil prices and concerns that the U.S. may be entering a toxic phase of slowing growth and rising inflation.
The euro, in contrast, remained on a solid footing despite survey data showing very weak growth in the euro zone's services and manufacturing sectors. Analysts said that despite the slowdown, the economy was still robust enough to allow the European Central Bank to focus on restraining price pressures.
"We had a massive shift generally in the past couple of weeks and the market now sees the ECB hiking rates," said Marcus Hettinger, FX strategist at Credit Suisse in Zurich.
"Consumers in the U.S. are already under stress from housing, and now...we have rising oil prices. Basically it means interest rates will remain low in the U.S. despite rising inflation...and that's one of the reason why the dollar will remain weak," he added.
Against a basket of six major currencies <.DXY>, the dollar was down nearly 1 percent since the start of the week at 72.127, heading for its biggest weekly percentage fall since late March.
The euro was steady on the day at $1.5724 <EUR=> at 0956 GMT, off a one-month high of $1.5814 touched on Thursday.
The single European currency fell half a percent to 162.85 yen <EURJPY=>, while the greenback eased to 103.58 yen <JPY=>.
"In the last weeks we have seen the yen weakening in line with stronger equity markets, (but) due to high oil prices we have a bit more risk aversion coming into the market and that's positive generally for the yen across the board as a funding currency," Hettinger said.
With rates of just 0.5 percent, the yen is often used as a source of cheap funding for riskier, higher-yielding investments and thus benefits when such trades are unwound during periods of risk aversion.
Oil rose one percent to around $132, moving back towards yesterday's record highs above $135 a barrel <CLc1>, while European equity markets weakened <.FTEU3>.
WEAK PMI
A flash reading of the RBS/NTC's euro zone services Puchasing Managers Index (PMI) came in at 50.6 in May, sliding from 52.0 in April and lower than expectations for a 51.7 reading. The manufacturing index eased to 50.7, in line with forecasts, leaving both gauges in sight of the 50 mark between growth and contraction.
"The overall worse-than-expected results...confirm that the underlying growth trend in the euro zone economy is firmly down and that growth in the second quarter indeed will be less flattering," ING said in a note.
"However, the activity data are not yet weak enough to dilute the ECB's concerns about the medium-term inflation outlook, which is the primary factor driving its monetary policy decisions."
Further clues on the health of the U.S. economy will come from existing home sales data for April at 1400 GMT which are expected to show further weakening.
Earlier this week, the Federal Reserve downgraded its 2008 U.S. economic growth forecast and raised its inflation outlook.
The Fed has cut interest rates to 2 percent from 5.25 percent since September, but markets now expect the central bank to hold steady and possibly raise rates by the end of the year.
((antonina.vorobyova@reuters.com; Tel: +44207 542 7958, Reuters Messaging: antonina.vorobyova.reuters.com@reuters.net;editing by Ian Jones))
Currency bid prices at 1011 GMT. All data taken from Reuters
with percent change calculated from the daily U.S.
close at 2130 GMT.
Last US Close % Chg YTD % 2007
22 May. Close
-----------------------------------------
Euro/dlr <EUR=> 1.5722 1.5728 -0.04 +7.77 1.4589
Dlr/yen <JPY=> 103.60 104.07 -0.45 -6.94 111.33
Euro/yen <EURJPY=> 162.87 163.69 -0.50 +0.21 162.53
Dlr/swiss <CHF=> 1.0286 1.0307 -0.20 -9.25 1.1335
Stg/dlr <GBP=> 1.9789 1.9804 -0.08 -0.29 1.9847
Dlr/cad <CAD=> 0.9861 0.9842 +0.19 -1.03 0.9964
Aus/dlr <AUD=> 0.9601 0.9574 +0.28 +9.64 0.8757
NZD/Dlr <NZD=> 0.7847 0.7832 +0.19 +2.36 0.7666
Euro/swiss <EURCHF=> 1.6171 1.6215 -0.27 -2.23 1.6539
Euro/stg <EURGBP=> 0.7943 0.7941 +0.03 +8.08 0.7349
Euro/sek <EURSEK=> 9.3016 9.3073 -0.06 -1.37 9.4304
Dlr/Nok <NOK=> 5.0232 5.0070 +0.32 -7.57 5.4347
Latest forex developments <FXNEWS>
All forex news ... [FRX] Debt...[DBT] Indicators...[ECI]
Currency reports.. [USD/] [DLR/BLOC]
[GBP/] [AUD/] [NZD/] [CAD/]
All spots <FX=>
Tokyo spots <AFX=>
Europe spots <EFX=>
Volatilities <FXVOL>
Tokyo Forex market info from BOJ <TKYFX>
World central bank news [CEN]
Economic Forecasts...<ECON> Official rates...[INT/RATE]
Forex Diary.......[MI/DIARY] Top events........[M/DIARY]
Diaries...........[DIARY] Diaries Index........[IND/DIARY]
Press Digests....[PRESS] Polls on G7 economies..[SURVEY/]
(Changes dateline, byline, adds comment, updates prices)
By Naomi Tajitsu
LONDON, May 23 (Reuters) - The dollar was little changed on Friday, holding gains made after oil prices pulled back from a record high, while weaker euro zone services sector data did little to dent the view that the region's economy remains firm.
The dollar was supported on profit taking after it has fallen broadly in the past few weeks, but the U.S. currency lingered near a one-month low against a host of currencies including the euro on lingering worries about the U.S. economy.
The euro was resilient to a bigger-than-expected fall in euro zone service sector PMI, which matched a 4 1/2-year low hit in January, as it did little to change the view that the region's economy remains stronger than that of the U.S.
"The euro was unmoved by the numbers and the overall tone for the euro is firmer," said Mitul Kotecha, head of global foreign exchange research at Calyon.
"Compared to the U.S. numbers euro zone data has been firm and the PMI numbers came on the back of strong Ifo and Q1 GDP data."
The euro traded at $1.5715 <EUR=> at 0812 GMT, barely changed on the day, but off a one-month high of $1.5814 touched on Thursday.
Oil prices held about $3 below record highs of $135 a barrel <CLc1>, helping buoy the dollar against the single European currency. But the dollar slipped 0.2 percent to 103.82 yen <JPY=>.
The dollar tends to move in the opposite direction to oil, and it took a hit on Thursday on the commodity's surge, which had fuelled concerns about the U.S. economy just as the Federal Reserve is expected to halt its run of interest rate cuts to bolster the country's growth.
Against a basket of currencies, the dollar was flat at 72.150 <.DXY>.
WEAK PMI
A flash reading of the RBS/NTC's euro zone services PMI came in at 50.6 in May, sliding from 52.0 in April and lower than expectations for a 51.7 reading [ID:nL227327]. German services figures fell to 53.7 in May from 54.9 last month, while manufacturing held roughly steady [ID:nL22780001].
French services PMI slipped to 50.7 in May, weaker than market expectations and hitting its lowest since June 2003 [ID:nL22805183]. A reading of French consumer spending also came in lower than forecast [ID:nL23604577].
Still, the euro held its ground, partly because recent solid data from the euro zone's largest economy, Germany, nurtured speculation that the European Central Bank was more likely to raise rates than cut after keeping them at 4 percent this week.
Earlier this week, the Fed downgraded its 2008 U.S. economic growth forecast and raised its inflation outlook.
The Fed has cut interest rates to 2 percent from 5.25 percent since September, but markets now expect the central bank to hold steady and possibly raise rates by the end of the year.
Traders said they were waiting for a U.S. report on existing home sales due on Friday as well as crude oil moves for clues on the dollar's direction.
"As the dollar lacks direction, the focus will be on crude if home sales data comes in weak as expected," said Tomoko Fujii, Bank of America's head of economics and strategy for Japan.
"Crude oil rises will continue to hurt the dollar as they boost U.S. import costs while it helps the euro by making the ECB more vigilant on inflation."
(Additional reporting by Simon Falush, editing by David Christian-Edwards)
((naomi.tajitsu@reuters.com; Tel: +44207 542 5830, Reuters Messaging: naomi.tajitsu.reuters.com@reuters.net))
Currency bid prices at 0830 GMT. All data taken from Reuters
with percent change calculated from the daily U.S.
close at 2130 GMT.
Last US Close % Chg YTD % 2007
22 May. Close
-----------------------------------------
Euro/dlr <EUR=> 1.5733 1.5728 +0.03 +7.84 1.4589
Dlr/yen <JPY=> 103.79 104.07 -0.27 -6.77 111.33
Euro/yen <EURJPY=> 163.28 163.69 -0.25 +0.46 162.53
Dlr/swiss <CHF=> 1.0282 1.0307 -0.24 -9.29 1.1335
Stg/dlr <GBP=> 1.9798 1.9804 -0.03 -0.25 1.9847
Dlr/cad <CAD=> 0.9856 0.9842 +0.14 -1.08 0.9964
Aus/dlr <AUD=> 0.9614 0.9574 +0.42 +9.79 0.8757
NZD/Dlr <NZD=> 0.7853 0.7832 +0.27 +2.44 0.7666
Euro/swiss <EURCHF=> 1.6178 1.6215 -0.23 -2.18 1.6539
Euro/stg <EURGBP=> 0.7945 0.7941 +0.05 +8.11 0.7349
Euro/sek <EURSEK=> 9.3001 9.3073 -0.08 -1.38 9.4304
Dlr/Nok <NOK=> 5.0297 5.0070 +0.45 -7.45 5.4347
Latest forex developments <FXNEWS>
All forex news ... [FRX] Debt...[DBT] Indicators...[ECI]
Currency reports.. [USD/] [DLR/BLOC]
[GBP/] [AUD/] [NZD/] [CAD/]
All spots <FX=>
Tokyo spots <AFX=>
Europe spots <EFX=>
Volatilities <FXVOL>
Tokyo Forex market info from BOJ <TKYFX>
World central bank news [CEN]
Economic Forecasts...<ECON> Official rates...[INT/RATE]
Forex Diary.......[MI/DIARY] Top events........[M/DIARY]
Diaries...........[DIARY] Diaries Index........[IND/DIARY]
Press Digests....[PRESS] Polls on G7 economies..[SURVEY/]
By Chikako Mogi
TOKYO, May 23 (Reuters) - The dollar steadied on Friday as oil prices eased on profit-taking after hitting fresh record highs, but the currency stayed in sight of a one-month low against the euro on worries that inflation could lead to a deeper U.S. slowdown.
The dollar tends to move in the opposite direction to oil, and it took a hit on Thursday as oil jumped above $135 <CLc1> for the first time, fuelling concerns about the U.S. economy just as the Federal Reserve is expected to halt its run of interest rate cuts to bolster the country's growth.
The euro held its ground, partly because recent solid data from the euro zone's largest economy, Germany, nurtured speculation that the European Central Bank was more likely to raise rates than cut after keeping them at 4 percent this week.
The yen came under pressure as rising energy prices would also hurt Japan's growth, which is showing signs of softening.
"The dollar is getting support as oil prices take a breather, but it remains vulnerable given concerns about inflation dragging down growth," said a senior dealer at a European bank.
"There is no reason to buy the yen either, leaving the euro with the most upside. But currencies are likely to stay in ranges as the market lacks convincing factors to set a clear direction," he said.
The euro was little changed from late U.S. trade at $1.5726 <EUR=> after rising to a one-month high above $1.5800 on Thursday.
Solid stock markets may spur risk-taking and prompt investors into carry trades, where they use low-yielding currencies such as the yen to buy higher-yielding assets and currencies, undermining the Japanese unit, traders said.
The dollar was up nearly 0.1 percent at 104.12 yen <JPY=>, after slipping below 103 yen the previous day. Traders said the dollar was supported by buying from Japanese retail investors and importers but resistance was firm around 105 yen due to Japanese exporter selling.
The single currency was little changed against the yen at 163.74 yen <EURJPY=>.
The Nikkei stock average <.N225> was up 0.5 percent.
The rise in bond yields around the globe on inflation concerns also highlights how low Japanese interest rates are, further reducing incentives to buy yen, a dealer at a U.S. securities firm said.
The Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady at 0.5 percent earlier this week and is expected to hold them until global economic prospects become clearer. BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said the downside risks to the global economy remained high.
U.S. crude <CLc1> ended Thursday down $2.36 at $130.81 after soaring to a record high of $135.09.
Earlier this week, the Fed downgraded its 2008 U.S. economic growth forecast and raised its inflation outlook.
The Fed has cut interest rates to 2 percent from 5.25 percent since September, but markets now expect the central bank to hold steady and possibly raise rates by the end of the year.
Traders said they were waiting for a U.S. report on existing home sales due on Friday as well as crude oil moves for clues on the dollar's direction.
"As the dollar lacks direction, the focus will be on crude if home sales data comes in weak as expected," said Tomoko Fujii, Bank of America's head of economics and strategy for Japan.
"Crude oil rises will continue to hurt the dollar as they boost U.S. import costs while it helps the euro by making the ECB more vigilant on inflation."
(Additional reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Hugh Lawson) ((chikako.mogi@thomsonreuters.com; +81 3 6441 1871; Reuters Messaging: chikako.mogi.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: MARKETS FOREX
By Chikako Mogi
TOKYO, May 23 (Reuters) - The dollar steadied on Friday as oil prices eased on profit-taking after hitting fresh record highs, but the currency stayed in sight of a one-month low against the euro on worries that inflation could lead to a deeper U.S. slowdown.
The dollar tends to move in the opposite direction to oil, and it took a hit on Thursday as oil jumped above $135 <CLc1> for the first time, fuelling concerns about the U.S. economy just as the Federal Reserve is expected to halt its run of interest rate cuts to bolster the country's growth.
The euro held its ground, partly because recent solid data from the euro zone's largest economy, Germany, nurtured speculation that the European Central Bank was more likely to raise rates than cut after keeping them at 4 percent this week.
The yen came under pressure as rising energy prices would also hurt Japan's growth, which is showing signs of softening.
"The dollar is getting support as oil prices take a breather, but it remains vulnerable given concerns about inflation dragging down growth," said a senior dealer at a European bank.
"There is no reason to buy the yen either, leaving the euro with the most upside. But currencies are likely to stay in ranges as the market lacks convincing factors to set a clear direction," he said.
The euro was little changed from late U.S. trade at $1.5726 <EUR=> after rising to a one-month high above $1.5800 on Thursday.
Solid stock markets may spur risk-taking and prompt investors into carry trades, where they use low-yielding currencies such as the yen to buy higher-yielding assets and currencies, undermining the Japanese unit, traders said.
The dollar was up nearly 0.1 percent at 104.12 yen <JPY=>, after slipping below 103 yen the previous day. Traders said the dollar was supported by buying from Japanese retail investors and importers but resistance was firm around 105 yen due to Japanese exporter selling.
The single currency was little changed against the yen at 163.74 yen <EURJPY=>.
The Nikkei stock average <.N225> was up 0.5 percent.
The rise in bond yields around the globe on inflation concerns also highlights how low Japanese interest rates are, further reducing incentives to buy yen, a dealer at a U.S. securities firm said.
The Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady at 0.5 percent earlier this week and is expected to hold them until global economic prospects become clearer. BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said the downside risks to the global economy remained high.
U.S. crude <CLc1> ended Thursday down $2.36 at $130.81 after soaring to a record high of $135.09.
Earlier this week, the Fed downgraded its 2008 U.S. economic growth forecast and raised its inflation outlook.
The Fed has cut interest rates to 2 percent from 5.25 percent since September, but markets now expect the central bank to hold steady and possibly raise rates by the end of the year.
Traders said they were waiting for a U.S. report on existing home sales due on Friday as well as crude oil moves for clues on the dollar's direction.
"As the dollar lacks direction, the focus will be on crude if home sales data comes in weak as expected," said Tomoko Fujii, Bank of America's head of economics and strategy for Japan.
"Crude oil rises will continue to hurt the dollar as they boost U.S. import costs while it helps the euro by making the ECB more vigilant on inflation."
(Additional reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Hugh Lawson) ((chikako.mogi@thomsonreuters.com; +81 3 6441 1871; Reuters Messaging: chikako.mogi.reuters.com@reuters.net)) Keywords: MARKETS FOREX
All data taken from Reuters calculated from the levels at
2130 GMT in the previous New York session.
Last US Close Pct YTD Pct 2007
May 22 Change Change Close
-------------------------------------------------------------
Euro/dlr <EUR=> 1.5726 1.5728 -0.01 +7.79 1.4589
Dlr/yen <JPY=> 104.12 104.07 +0.05 -6.48 111.33
Euro/yen <EURJPY=R> 163.74 163.68 +0.04 +0.83 162.39
Dlr/swiss <CHF=> 1.0310 1.0307 +0.02 -9.04 1.1335
Stg/dlr <GBP=> 1.9786 1.9804 -0.09 -0.31 1.9847
Dlr/cad <CAD=> 0.9857 0.9842 +0.15 -1.07 0.9964
Aus/dlr <AUD=> 0.9578 0.9574 +0.05 +9.38 0.8757
Nzd/dlr <NZD=> 0.7848 0.7832 +0.20 +2.37 0.7666
Aus/yen <AUDJPY=R> 99.730 99.620 +0.11 +2.33 97.460
Nzd/yen <NZDJPY=R> 81.720 81.480 +0.29 -4.20 85.300
Stg/yen <GBPJPY=R> 206.03 206.08 -0.02 -6.87 221.22
Aus/Nzd <AUDNZD=R> 1.2194 1.2217 -0.19 +6.81 1.1416
All spots <FX=>
Asia spots <AFX=>
Europe spots <EFX=>
Volatilities <FXVOL>
Japan capital flows data [JP/CAP]
Latest uridashi bond issues [JP/URD]
World central bank news [CEN]
Economic Forecasts <ECON> Official rates [INT/RATE]
Forex Diary [MI/DIARY] Top events [M/DIARY]
Diaries [DIARY] Diaries Index [IND/DIARY]
Press Digests [PRESS] Polls on G7 economies [SURVEY/]
European markets [MARKETS/]
Keywords: MARKETS FOREX=2
Next: FOREX-Dollar steadies as oil eases,near 1-mth low vs euro