RTRS: Dollar tumbles on uncertainty about US debt talks
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss
NEW YORK, July 25 (Reuters) - The dollar fell to a record
low against the Swiss franc and a four-month trough versus the
yen on Monday as a deadlock in negotiations to raise the U.S.
debt ceiling spooked the market and spurred demand for
currencies viewed as safe havens.
Analysts warned of further sharp selling in the dollar if
Washington fails to increase the U.S. debt limit and enters a
technical default on its debt next month, a scenario for which
analysts have priced in a roughly 10 percent chance.
Overall, the Swiss franc was the biggest beneficiary of the
demand for safe havens, pushing the dollar to an all-time low
of 0.80210 franc on trading platform EBS CHF=EBS. The dollar
has fallen in three of the last four sessions against the Swiss
currency.
The euro EURCHF=EBS also fell versus the franc, dropping
1.8 percent, as did sterling. Traders reported heavy selling of
the pound ahead of Tuesday's UK gross domestic product data for
the second quarter, which could show a contraction instead of
market expectations for a 0.2 percent rise.
Most investors expect a deal will be done before the Aug. 2
deadline to avert a U.S default, but the lack of progress in
talks over how to cut the budget deficit and the possibility of
a ratings downgrade of U.S. debt weighed on risk sentiment,
which analysts said would dog the dollar. [ID:nN1E76M0B0]
"The budget impasse and the general bickering of
politicians in the U.S. in deciding what their stance would be
on the debt ceiling is weighing on dollar sentiment," said Ravi
Bharadwaj, market analyst at Travelex Global Business Payments
in Washington.
He added that Moody's further slashing of Greece's debt
rating on Monday did not benefit the dollar much as a safe
haven alternative to the euro, but instead boosted the Swiss
franc and gold. [ID:nL3E7IP0P2].
The U.S. Treasury said it will run out of money to pay the
country's bills after Aug. 2, though some analysts say the
Treasury may be able to scrape some money together to get by
for a week or two, which some market players believe cannot be
ruled out.
Against the the yen, the dollar fell as low as 78.055 yen,
its weakest level since mid-March, and was last at 78.202 yen
JPY=EBS, down 0.4 percent.
Many traders say the dollar could test a record low of
76.25 yen if concerns about the U.S. debt ceiling worsen, while
they also expect the U.S. currency will keep plumbing all-time
troughs versus the Swiss franc.
"It's likely the U.S. will stitch up some sort of deal to
avoid a technical default next week, but it could drag on until
the last moment," said Adam Cole, global head of foreign
exchange trading at RBC.
"If it does drag on, the only clear-cut conclusion you can
draw is that dollar/yen goes down, and dollar/Swiss goes down,
and we're seeing a miniature version of that today."
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Full coverage of U.S. budget and debt [ID:nUSBUDGET]
Dwindling options for debt limit talks [ID:nN1E76L1YA]
Obama admin, S&P clash over credit threat [ID:nN1E76L1JM]
Anything possible if U.S. downgraded [ID:nN1E76I1M8]
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
The ICE Futures' dollar index .DXY slipped 0.06 percent to
74.156 versus a currency basket, near 73.889, a six-week low
hit last week.
The euro was little changed against the dollar at $1.43640
EUR=EBS, as the euro zone's lingering fiscal crisis kept
traders wary over the single currency.
The euro initially slipped against the dollar after Moody's
downgraded Greece by three notches to Ca from Caa1, though the
impact was limited because the move was not a surprise and
traders were focused on the U.S. debt saga.
(Additional reporting by Neal Armstrong and Naomi Tajitsu in
London; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)