The euro fell to a fresh two-month low against a broadly recovering dollar today as a relentless rise in euro zone countries' bond yields fanned worries over their debt financing.
The Australian dollar tumbled after the Australian central bank quashed chances of an imminent rate hike while the yen hit a seven-week low against the dollar, with fresh sabre-rattling by North Korea helping the US currency.
"We've been hearing one piece of bad news after another from the euro zone lately. There's even talk of a breakup of the euro zone," said Tsutomu Soma, manager of foreign securities at Okasan Securities.
A majority of euro zone nations and the European Central Bank are urging Portugal to apply for a financial bailout from a European rescue fund, Financial Times Deutschland reported today.
"I think Portugal has already crossed the point of no return. Its bond yield has gone beyond a sustainable level. The market is now watching whether Spain will need a rescue," said a Japanese bank trader.
The euro fell 0.6 per cent to $1.3280, having fallen as low as $1.3265, its lowest level since late September.
Traders believe the euro will have more opportunities to test the downside, with a break below the latest trough seen putting the single currency's trendline support at $1.3230 as the next target, followed by its 200-day moving average around $1.3135.
A break below the 200-day moving average could be seen as more evidence of medium-term weakness after its move below major support, including a 38.2 per cent retracement of its rally from June to early November.
The euro's rally earlier this year was helped by the fact that the European Central Bank was seeking an exit strategy from its loose policy, in contrast with the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan, which have taken more easing steps in recent months. But some market players said that may change soon.
“Because of the debt woes, euro zone countries will now have to tighten their fiscal policies, which will dent growth and put pressure on the ECB to give up its search for an exit sooner or later," said Daisuke Karakama, a market economist at Mizuho Corporate Bank.
"The ECB may say it will extend its offer of unlimited liquidity as early as its next policy meeting (next Thursday)."
The ECB extended the measure to early 2011 in September.
Further boosting the dollar, North Korea said impending military exercises by South Korea and the United States were pushing the region towards war, days after it launched its heaviest bombardment of the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.
The Korean won fell more than 1.5 per cent and Korean shares slipped 1.3 per cent, losing much of the ground they had recovered in the past two days.
The dollar rose 0.4 per cent to 83.90 yen, having briefly touched 83.95 yen, a level last seen in early October, rising further from a 15-year low of 80.21 yen hit at the beginning of this month.
Rising optimism on the US economy was favouring the dollar, with a fall in US jobless claims published on Wednesday fuelling speculation that next week's payroll data could be strong as well, traders said.
The dollar has also risen well above major resistance at the top end of its ichimoku cloud, which is considered a major bullish sign. Many traders said the dollar could rise to 85 yen and some even see a test of 85.94 yen, hit right after Japan's unilateral yen-selling intervention in September.
But selling by Japanese exporters is likely to keep the dollar's advance in check. Japanese capital flows data showed foreign investors have been scooping up Japanese shares in the past three weeks.
The Australian dollar fell sharply as Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens dampened any remaining prospect of an imminent interest rate hike, saying rates were just right and the bank might not move on policy for some time.
The Aussie fell 1.2 per cent to $0.9691, dropping below its 55-day moving average of $0.9777 and hitting a one-month low of $0.9676.
Reuters