Asian currencies were buffeted over the past week by rising oil prices and data showing that the US trade deficit had ballooned to its second biggest level on record.
The Australian dollar was meanwhile boosted after the re-election of the conservative government, while the Philippine peso touched an all-time low amid rising oil prices.
JAPANESE YEN: The yen moved narrowly against the dollar amid conflicting signals, including the huge US trade deficit and a slide in Japanese share prices, while uncertainties over the November 2 US presidential election restrained trading.
The Japanese currency stood at 109.62-65 to the dollar at 5:00 pm (0800 GMT) Friday, from 110.38-40 to the dollar a week earlier. It had been mostly locked in the 109.50-110 range during the week.
The dollar was depressed by the release of US trade figures for August on Thursday showing the US trade deficit totalled 54 billion dollars that month, the second biggest on record.
The setback was attributed to the impact of high-priced oil and a flood of Chinese imports.
"Buying sentiment for the dollar is weak following the US trade deficit figures," UFJ Bank dealer Shigetake Nakayama said.
But the dollar's fall was limited as the market found no reason to take up the yen given the fall in Japanese stock prices, he said. "Overall trading lacked a clear direction."
The economic daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun expected market players to focus on crude oil prices in the coming week.
"If US economic indicators worsen in the course of an uptrend in crude oil prices, it is likely to prompt dollar selling," the daily said on its Internet edition.
AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR: The Australian dollar is expected to rise next week as higher oil prices drive the greenback down, dealers said.
The aussie ended the week at 73.07 US cents, up from 72.73 US cents the previous Friday.
RBC Capital Markets senior economist Su-Lin Ong said the Australian currency was rising as the US dollar was sold down on fears that oil prices would hit global growth, with the currency particularly popular in Japan.
ANZ senior currency strategist Craig Ferguson said the re-election this month of Australia's conservative government, which is also likely to control both parliamentary houses, was also boosting the currency as it would allow the government to push ahead with the sale of telecoms giant Telstra.
"Clearly it constitutes a long term positive for the currency and asset markets, especially if the proceeds are used to further reduce debt or will go to funding previously unfunded pension liabilities," Ferguson said.
"As such, relative out-performance of the currency against the US dollar, and certainly the New Zealand is expected to continue over the longer term," he said.
NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR: The dollar continued its growth, closing Friday worth 68.25 US cents, up from the 67.84 cents a week earlier.
It surged Friday on the news of another blow-out in the US trade deficit.
Westpac chief currency dealer Basil Payn said the kiwi had seen little effect from Friday's consumer price index inflation data which came in bang on economists' forecasts of a 0.6 percent rise for the September quarter.
He said the kiwi was likely to see more consolidation and offshore yield buying as the market turned its attention toward the Reserve Bank's interest rate call at the end of the month and the US election after that.
SINGAPORE DOLLAR: The dollar was at 1.6809 Singapore dollars on Friday from 1.6845 last week.
HONG KONG DOLLAR: Hong Kong's US-pegged dollar was at 7.788 Friday from 7.791 a week earlier.
INDONESIAN RUPIAH: The Indonesian rupiah ended the week slightly weaker at 9,095-9,100 to the dollar compared with 9,080-9,090 the previous week.
PHILIPPINE PESO: The Philippine peso fell to 56.425 to the dollar late Friday from 56.34 on October 8.
On Wednesday the local unit touched the all-time low of 57.45 to the dollar for the third time this year amid rising oil prices.
The central bank of the Philippines warned on Wednesday that the local unit could fall to as much as 57 pesos against the dollar next year, and may stay at that level until the end of President Gloria Arroyo's term in June 2010 if the government fails to wipe out its budget deficit.
SOUTH KOREAN WON: The won closed at 1,145.40 won per dollar compared with 1,147.90 won to the greenback a week earlier.
A dealer with BNP said the unit was likely to move within a limited range in the coming week as government efforts to prevent it from appreciating against the dollar were expected to continue.
TAIWAN DOLLAR: The Taiwan dollar rose 0.04 percent over the week to end at 33.866 against the greenback Friday. It finished at 33.880 a week earlier.
THAI BAHT: The Thai baht fell against the US dollar, rattled by record-high oil prices and a slump in the local stock market, dealers said.
The baht closed Friday at 41.43-45 baht to the greenback compared to the previous week's close of 41.31-34.
Comments
Comments are closed.