Most emerging Asian currencies rose on Friday, aided by profit-taking on the dollar and a slight strengthening of the yuan as Beijing pledged more policy support to mitigate risks from a trade row with the United States. The Chinese yuan traded hands at 6.934, marginally higher against the dollar, though still hovering around its weakest level since early 2017.
Shares in China initially sputtered, then recovered after government statements bolstered market confidence as the country's third quarter economic growth slowed to its weakest pace since 2009. "The resultant stability of the RMB in the Asian session provided some form of anchor for regional currencies," said Fiona Lim, an FX analyst at Maybank.
A Reuters poll showed short positions on most Asian currencies were seen unwinding over the past two weeks, with traders turning sceptical of the dollar's bull run. The Indian rupee strengthened 0.21 percent against the dollar and is on track to post a weekly gain against the dollar. The Singapore dollar strengthened 0.24 percent, while the Philippine peso gained 0.21 percent against the dollar.
The Indonesian rupiah, among Asia's worst performing currencies this year, was marginally lower and on track for a fifth straight week of decline against the dollar. Indonesia is wrestling with a high current account deficit, which further widens as the currency weakens. "The rupiah is still in the weakening process due to global factors as well as domestic slowing," said a FX strategist from Indonesia.
The Malaysian ringgit was off 0.07 percent, and was poised to post its fourth straight weekly decline versus the dollar. The Malaysian government on Thursday said the country will see wider fiscal deficits and slower economic growth than earlier forecast for this year and through 2020. The yuan was on track for a weekly loss against the dollar and has weakened more than 6 percent this year and is close to the psychologically critical 7 per dollar level.
The PBOC set Friday's official midpoint at 6.9387, the weakest level since January 4, 2017. Thursday's midpoint was fixed at 6.9275. The currency is facing a double whammy of depreciation pressure amid rising China-US trade tensions and signs of a slowing economy.