· Dollar slips on report that U.S. stimulus talks to resume
The dollar slid for a sixth straight session on Thursday, after trading higher for most of the day, on reports that U.S. Senate Republican leaders have agreed to resume negotiations on another coronavirus stimulus package.
In late afternoon trading, an index which tracks the dollar against a basket of currencies was down 0.2% at 92.299 =USD.
The euro rose 0.2% against the dollar to $1.1875 EUR=EBS.
With fiscal stimulus plans remaining uncertain, speculation is growing that the Federal Reserve may further loosen monetary policy in December.
Two Fed officials on Wednesday held out the option of doing more, and Treasuries have rallied in anticipation of a possible expansion of U.S. central bank bond-buying.
The dollar was little changed against the yen at 103.81 yen JPY=EBS. The yen has gained about 1.4% since Pfizer Inc PFE.N announced promising trial results for its COVID-19 vaccine.
Elsewhere, sterling dipped 0.2% to $1.3255 GBP=D3 against the dollar after the Times newspaper reported that European leaders will urge the European Commission to publish no-deal Brexit plans as the year-end deadline approaches.
· Treasury yields fall after disappointing jobless claims data
U.S. Treasury yields fell on Thursday after jobless claims came in higher than expected amid a worsening coronavirus pandemic.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note slipped to 0.849%, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond fell to 1.575%. Yields move inversely to prices.
Jobless claims totaled 742,000 last week, ahead of the 710,000 estimate from economists surveyed by Dow Jones, according to the Labor Department. That total also represented an acceleration from the previous week’s total of 709,000.
· Bitcoin breaks $18,000 with all-time high in sight
Bitcoin BTC=BTSP, meanwhile, rose 1.2% on Thursday to $18,004.
Bitcoin is now close to its all-time high of just under $20,000, which it touched at the peak of its retail investor-fuelled 2017 bubble.
“It is not out of the question for the crypto to hit its all-time high of $20,000 this side of Christmas,” said Simon Peters, analyst at investment platform eToro.
Reference: CNBC
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