The euro clung to gains against the dollar on Thursday, having rallied after the head of the European Central Bank downplayed the need for further monetary stimulus any time soon. But the common currency's gains against the yen unravelled, as Japanese investors returned from a string of holidays and booked profits on the European unit. "The euro is still a carry currency, so its gains might not last," said Kaneo Ogino, director at foreign exchange research firm Global-info Co in Tokyo.
"Some people think that anytime the euro rises, it's a good time to go short, to build short positions," he said. Trading volume was relatively thin on Thursday, Ogino said, with Singapore markets closed for a holiday, and Tokyo markets reopening for the first time this week.
The euro bounced above $1.1200 overnight and last stood at $1.1188, pulling away from Wednesday's session low of $1.1105, which was its deepest nadir since September 4. It dipped about 0.1 percent to 134.23 yen, off an overnight high of 134.68 but still above a two-week trough of 133.18 touched in the previous session. ECB President Mario Draghi said while the risks to Europe's inflation and growth outlook have increased due to the emerging market slowdown, the bank would need more time before deciding to take any fresh action.
Against sterling, the common currency fetched 73.29 pence, down about 0.2 percent, but up from a one-month low of 71.93 set on Tuesday. "If the current rally in EUR/USD extends to re-test the previous August high of 1.1714, there is a risk Draghi will talk down the euro," said Joseph Capurso, senior currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank. "But for now, there is some further upside pressure in EUR/USD. We don't anticipate a re-test of the August highs for at least some weeks."
Markets have taken the view that the other major central banks were under growing pressure to do more after the Federal Reserve delayed a long-anticipated hike in interest rates last week due in part to a soft global outlook. Therefore, Draghi's comments disappointed some euro bears. The dollar bumped lower against the yen to 120.03, down about 0.2 percent but still continuing to trade around the 120.00 level as it has for much of this month. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six rival currencies, was at 96.173, up about 0.1 percent, but below Wednesday's 2-1/2 week high of 96.548.
Draghi's comments followed business surveys showed activity in China declined at a faster pace than expected this month, while growth in the euro zone slowed slightly. The reports added to concerns about the shape of the global economy. The Australian dollar, often used as a liquid proxy for China plays, wallowed just below 70 US cents, having shed nearly a full US cent in the past 24 hours.