* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E (Updates prices, adds comment, changes byline, previous dateline was LONDON)
By Sinéad Carew
NEW YORK, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The dollar index fell on Friday, hitting its lowest level in almost three months, after strong economic data from China favored commodity currencies over safe havens and equity markets continued their rally.
The dollar has fallen more than 2.2% so far this month as global market sentiment has surged following Joe Biden's election victory and positive COVID-19 vaccine progress, which reduced demand for the safe-haven currency.
The Australian dollar hit its highest level since September after news that China's industrial firms grew in October for a sixth consecutive month and at their quickest pace since early 2017, pointing to a steady recovery in the manufacturing sector after it was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. British pound declined against the euro as the European Union and Britain said there were still substantial differences over a Brexit trade deal as the EU chief negotiator prepared to travel to London in a last-ditch attempt to avoid a tumultuous finale to the five-year Brexit crisis. with China data and Brexit headlines, Erik Bregar, head of FX strategy at Exchange Bank of Canada in Toronto cited month-end selling of the U.S. dollar as investors look to balance portfolios after solid monthly gains for equities.
"There's been talk all week that the U.S. dollar will see waves of selling going into Monday," said Bregar who also noted "dollar selling into the London fix every day this week."
Wall Street's main indexes rose and the Nasdaq hit a record high as optimism around an economic rebound next year outweighed concerns around an expected surge in coronavirus infections following Thursday's U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. .N
"The markets have a tendency to perhaps look through the fact that we're going to have a really nasty Q4, possibly a very nasty Q1 too, in terms of economic data in Europe and the U.S., and look through to the better times ahead," said Jane Foley, senior FX strategist at Rabobank.
"We've seen various stock market indices at all-time highs, so the dollar under pressure. Also keeping the dollar under pressure is this perception that the Fed will act, will pressure the yield curve lower, if need be, particularly if there continues to be a delay over the fiscal package," she said.
The U.S. Federal Reserve's latest meeting minutes said that policymakers could give new guidance on bond-buying "fairly soon". dollar =USD was down 0.24% against a basket of major currencies after hitting its lowest level since Sept. 1. The dollar-yen was down 0.16% JPY=EBS .
The Australian dollar - seen as a liquid proxy for risk - hit its highest level in nearly three months in early London trading and was last up 0.5% at 0.7394 AUD=D3 .
Australia's second-largest state, Victoria, which was once the country's COVID-19 hotspot, said on Friday that it has gone 28 days without detecting new infections. was down 0.03% against the dollar and the euro was up 0.26% against the British currency.
The euro was up 0.29% at $1.1945 EUR=EBS , having shown little reaction to downbeat comments from the European Central Bank's chief economist Philip Lane on Thursday. market participants long on the euro, Rabobank's Foley said that euro-dollar could face downsides as the ECB has signalled that it is watching euro appreciation. The EU budget which includes the COVID-19 recovery fund has not yet been approved. bid prices at 10:28AM (1528 GMT) Description
RIC
Last
U.S. Close Pct Change
YTD Pct
High Bid
Low Bid
Previous
Change
Session
Dollar index
=USD
$91.8050
92.0380
-0.24%
+0.00%
+92.0530
+91.8070 Euro/Dollar
EUR=EBS
$1.1945
$1.1910
+0.29%
+6.54%
+1.1947
+1.1908 Dollar/Yen
JPY=D3
103.9900
104.2500
-0.16%
-4.18%
+104.2650 +103.9200 Euro/Yen
EURJPY=
124.20
124.18
+0.02%
+1.85%
+124.3700 +123.9000 Dollar/Swiss
0.9055
0.9077
-0.23%
-6.42%
+0.9082
+0.9053 Sterling/Dollar GBP=D3
1.3356
1.3361
-0.03%
+0.71%
+1.3381
+1.3305 Dollar/Canadian CAD=D3
1.2979
1.3015
-0.28%
-0.09%
+1.3024
+1.2977 Aussie/Dollar
AUD=D3
0.7394
0.7358
+0.50%
+5.38%
+0.7395
+0.7354 Euro/Swiss
EURCHF=
1.0816
1.0796
+0.19%
-0.33%
+1.0827
+1.0795 Euro/Sterling
EURGBP=
0.8941
0.8918
+0.26%
+5.76%
+0.8954
+0.8916 NZ
NZD=D3
0.7037
0.7011
+0.39%
+4.59%
+0.7037
+0.7001 Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway
NOK=D3
8.8260
8.8770
-0.47%
+0.72%
+8.8805
+8.8355 Euro/Norway
EURNOK=
10.5430
10.5680
-0.24%
+7.16%
+10.5900
+10.5380 Dollar/Sweden
8.5080
8.5180
+0.11%
-8.99%
+8.5389
+8.5054 Euro/Sweden
EURSEK=
10.1620
10.1505
+0.11%
-2.93%
+10.1780
+10.1496