CNBC: Euro Extends Gains Against Dollar, Hits $1.40
The euro extended gains against the U.S. dollar Monday after European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet reiterated his opposition to any moves to get private sector investors involved in a bailout for Greece.
"We must avoid anything that will trigger a credit event," he said in a question-and-answer session after a speech at the London School of Economics.
The euro hit a session high of $1.4403, according to Reuters data. It was last at $1.4396 [EUR=X 1.4369 0.0041 (+0.29%) ], up 0.4 percent on the day.
"Trichet's comments are mildly supportive of the euro," said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington.
"This is not a reversal for the euro, but rather a corrective move," he said.
Safe Haven Flows
The rush towards safe-haven assets boosted the Swiss franc and kept the dollar pinned near record lows hit last week. The dollar was last down 0.7 percent near 0.8370 [CHF=X 0.8365 -0.0062 (-0.74%) ].
"The Swiss franc remains the global barometer for risk and the fresh euro zone jitters have given renewed confidence to investors to push it higher," said Lena Komileva, head of G-10 currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman in London.
The Swiss National Bank meets this week for a rate decision, and is unlikely to signal any risk of intervention to cap the franc's strength.
The New Zealand dollar tumbled after a series of powerful earthquakes shook Christchurch, four months after the city was badly damaged by a 6.3 magnitude quake. The kiwi [NZD= 0.8136 -0.0067 (-0.82%) ] last dropped 0.9 percent to trade near $0.8132.