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FOREX-Dollar advances after U.S. data, but on track for largest monthly fall since July

Published 2021-04-30, 10:56 a/m
© Reuters.

* Robust U.S. data helps dollar

* Investors taking profits in short dollar bets

* Graphic: World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E (Adds new comment, U.S. data, FX table, updates prices, changes byline, dateline)

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss

NEW YORK, April 30 (Reuters) - The dollar rose on Friday, extending gains after upbeat data on U.S. personal income and spending as well as manufacturing in the U.S. Midwest, with market participants also taking profits on the currency's short dollar positions this month.

The dollar index was down 2.4% for the month of April, its worst monthly performance since July 2020.

Data showing a 4.2% rebound in U.S. consumer spending in March, amid a 21.1% surge in income as households received additional COVID-19 relief money from the government, supported the dollar. That led to a 0.4% rise in the core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index, compared with a gain of 0.3% the previous month. will be the third time this year that the PCE reading has beaten expectations," Adam Corbett, currency analyst, at Cambridge Global Payments, said in a research note after the data.

"Fed Chair Jerome Powell remained firm on the Fed's interest rate path and QE (quantitative easing) program on Wednesday, leaving traders with the uncomfortable feeling inflation could run away - and run away quickly."

Similarly, the dollar also gained after the Chicago Purchasing Management Index (PMI) showed a reading for April of 72.1, the highest in almost four decades.

In mid-morning trading, the dollar index =USD was set to end the week flat, although still down 2.4% for the month as a whole. It was last up 0.4% at 91.007.

"This current strength in the dollar is likely a pivot to that seasonal trend that we tend to see in May and June," said Mazen Issa, senior currency strategist at TD Securities in New York.

"Basically on the last day of Q1, we saw the dollar turn around to the softer side and continued unabated since, despite strong payrolls at the start of April. Seasonal trends suggest that April is one of the weaker months for the dollar."

The Canadian dollar CAD=D3 climbed to a more-than three-year high of C$1.2268 per greenback on Friday, on track for a 1.6% weekly gain that would be its biggest since the start of November. The U.S. dollar was last flat at C$1.2280.

After the Fed's policy meeting on Wednesday, Powell acknowledged the U.S. economy's growth, but said there was not yet enough evidence of "substantial further progress" toward recovery to warrant a change to its ultra-loose monetary settings. Fed's dovishness was in marked contrast to the Bank of Canada, which has already begun to taper its asset purchases. Canada's commodity-linked loonie got additional support from a surge in oil to a six-week peak, along with higher lumber prices.

Rising commodity prices earlier supported the Australian dollar AUD=D3 , but in New York session it was down 0.3% at US$0.7740 because of broad dollar strength.

The euro EUR=EBS traded 0.4% lower at $1.2071. It was up nearly 3% for the month versus the dollar and down 0.2% on the week.

The dollar also rose against the yen, up 0.1% at 109.05 JPY=EBS , rising 1% for the week.

========================================================

Currency bid prices at 10:48AM (1448 GMT) Description

RIC

Last

U.S. Close Pct Change

YTD Pct

High Bid

Low Bid

Previous

Change

Session

Dollar index

=USD

90.9450

90.6200

+0.37%

1.071%

+91.0450

+90.5880 Euro/Dollar

EUR=EBS

$1.2075

$1.2122

-0.38%

-1.17%

+$1.2127

+$1.2061 Dollar/Yen

JPY=EBS

109.0750

108.9150

+0.15%

+5.57%

+109.1200 +108.7100 Euro/Yen

EURJPY=

131.71

131.99

-0.21%

+3.77%

+132.1900 +131.4600 Dollar/Swiss

CHF=EBS

0.9105

0.9089

+0.19%

+2.93%

+0.9118

+0.9082 Sterling/Dollar GBP=D3

$1.3867

$1.3946

-0.56%

+1.50%

+$1.3958

+$1.3845 Dollar/Canadian CAD=D3

1.2284

1.2278

+0.05%

-3.53%

+1.2294

+1.2266 Aussie/Dollar

AUD=D3

$0.7739

$0.7766

-0.34%

+0.60%

+$0.7784

+$0.7731 Euro/Swiss

EURCHF=

1.0994

1.1013

-0.17%

+1.73%

+1.1022

+1.0985 Euro/Sterling

EURGBP=

0.8706

0.8691

+0.17%

-2.58%

+0.8717

+0.8682 NZ

NZD=D3

$0.7196

$0.7243

-0.60%

+0.25%

+$0.7254

+$0.7192 Dollar/Dollar

Dollar/Norway

NOK=D3

8.2715

8.1895

+1.12%

-3.56%

+8.2815

+8.1820 Euro/Norway

EURNOK=

9.9880

9.9355

+0.53%

-4.58%

+9.9915

+9.9215 Dollar/Sweden

SEK=

8.4203

8.3705

+0.21%

+2.73%

+8.4257

+8.3620 Euro/Sweden

EURSEK=

10.1677

10.1460

+0.21%

+0.91%

+10.1746

+10.1385

<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ World FX rates

https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E Dollar heads for fourth weekly loss

https://tmsnrt.rs/3b8GtJl

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>

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