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Australian Dollar and Kiwi Strengthens As Risk Appetite Resumes

On Friday, the Australian dollar, along with its New Zealand counterpart, led improvements among major currencies in the FX market.

The upsurge was due to the easing of geopolitical conflicts in the Mideast. Investors bought riskier currencies after the comparatively upbeat U.S. economic data this week, also promoting sentiment.

Meanwhile, the greenback was firm against a basket of other currencies.

Moreover, it is on track to record its best week in two months. The possibility of war in the Middle East subsided as the United States and Iran backed away from further conflict.

In a statement, a currency strategist at Credit Agricole in London, Manuel Oliver, stated, “Risk sentiment is back to easing geopolitical tensions and hopes of an interim trade deal between China and the U.S. as early as next week.”

Meanwhile, the Aussie added a third of a percent to $0.68755. Its strength diminished on escalating bets of an interest rate cut as early as February.

The rate cut was due to weeks of bushfires that have cast a shadow over the stronger economy.

Also, the Kiwi dollar inched up 0.2% to $0.6622.

This week, the greenback has roughly outperformed the G10 FX.

Shrinking of Interest Rate

The information has also put a floor under a recent dwindling of interest rate differentials between U.S. and European bonds. The spreads between U.S. Treasuries and equivalent German debt for 10-year maturities were trading near 210 bps.

National Australia Bank’s head of FX strategy, Ray Attrill, said, “There’s nothing fundamental to drive people out the U.S. dollar at this stage.”

On the other side, the greenback increased by 0.6% versus a basket of its competitors. It is the most significant weekly upswing since early November.

Moreover, it has held firm at 97.44 today.

However, moves in other major currencies were moderate, with traders focusing on December job-market data.

The consensus forecast expects 164,000 extra jobs in December, in the wake of a mega 266,000 counted in November.

This week, the Chinese yuan is another robust performer that has climbed to a five-month high.

The upsurge was despite the geopolitical turbulence, on rising optimism as the January 15 date for endorsing the Sino-U.S. trade deal nears. The currency last traded at 6.9315 per dollar in the foreign exchange market.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the Phase 1 trade deal with China would receive signatures on January 15.

However, on Thursday, according to some spokesperson, the deal could be signed “shortly thereafter.”



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