Risk appetite lifts Asia FX

Emerging Asian currencies rose on Tuesday as risk appetite improved, but gains were capped after Australian's central bank cut interest rates, cementing views of further policy easing around the region. The Indonesian rupiah outperformed as investors sought higher yields with global risk sentiment up on hopes for agreement on Greece's debt situation.
Taiwan's dollar advanced on stock inflows. The South Korean won rose on the yen's strength and demand from exporters for settlements. Still, emerging Asian currencies gave up some gains, with Singapore dollar turning weaker, after the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut its cash rate a quarter point to an all-time low of 2.25 percent.
The move highlighted expectations that central banks in Asia and other parts of the world are likely to ease monetary policies in a bid to support ailing growth and ward off deflation, analysts said. "The RBA joined the line of central banks' surprise easing moves this year. Other Asian central banks are likely to follow the move," said Christy Tan, Head of Markets Strategy for National Australian Bank in Hong Kong.
"Some of the Asian central banks on easing or accommodative mode are RBI, MAS, BOK and possibly BSP. Weaker FX trend will be a complementary move for some of these countries," Tan added, referring to central banks of India, Singapore, South Korea and the Philippines. India's central bank held interest rates steady at 7.75 percent on Tuesday after easing monetary policy just three weeks ago, though more rate cuts are widely expected.
Instead, the Reserve Bank of India cut the statutory liquidity ratio - or the amount as a proportion of deposits that lenders must set aside - by 50 basis points to 21.5 percent of deposits from February 7, prodding banks to increase lending. The Monetary Authority of Singapore on January 28 unexpectedly eased monetary policy, by reducing the slope of its policy band for the Singapore dollar.
The rupiah gained as custodian banks and foreign lenders bought it ahead of Indonesia's bond sale later in the day. The finance ministry aims to sell 12 trillion rupiah ($951.6 million) in bonds. "We expect foreign appetite to remain healthy, particularly in the current low yielding environment," said Jonathan Cavenagh, senior FX strategist with Westpac, in a client note.
"We have entered into a fresh short position in USD/IDR via the one-month NDF at 12,680," said Cavenagh, adding the bank's target for the positions was 12,400. The rupiah advanced to 12,665 per dollar in one-month NDF from Monday's 12,776. Ten-year government bond yield fell to 6.943 percent, its lowest since June 2013.
The Taiwan dollar rose as foreign demand helped local stocks rise 0.7 percent. Gains in the island's currency were limited as domestic importers looked for chances to buy the US dollar for payments. Exporters stayed away for now, seeing the current level as expensive to buy the Taiwan dollar for settlements, traders said.
Those companies are likely to purchase the island's unit when it weakens to 31.550 per the greenback-31.600, traders said. The won advanced as traders covered short positions, tracking the yen's strength and on demand from exporters for settlements. The South Korean currency pared some of earlier gains after the RBA's rate cut. Treasury bond futures extended gains with foreign buying increasing. Traders stayed cautious over possible intervention by the foreign exchange authorities to stem its strength. Importers also bought the dollar for payments, limiting the won's appreciation, traders said.