BLBG:Taiwan Dollar Falls to Seven-Month Low on Europe; Bonds Advance
Taiwan’s dollar fell to a seven- month low after European officials failed to reach a plan to settle the region’s debt crisis, prompting foreign funds to favor safer assets than emerging-market stocks.
Foreign funds sold $152 million more Taiwan shares than they bought today, bringing this year’s net sales to $9.2 billion, exchange data show. Europe’s finance chiefs, who wrapped up two days of talks in Wroclaw, Poland, on Sept. 17, said that the 18-month debt crisis leaves no room for tax cuts or extra spending to spur an economy on the brink of stagnation. European Union and International Monetary Fund inspectors speak today with Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos to judge whether the nation is eligible for its next aid payment.
“The crisis around Greece is affecting foreign investors,” said Tarsicio Tong, a Taipei-based currency trader at Union Bank of Taiwan. “They are redeeming their overseas investments, especially in Asia. They have to keep cash on hand. They expect economic growth to slow down.”
Taiwan’s dollar weakened 0.7 percent to NT$29.78 against its U.S. counterpart at the 4 p.m. local time close, according to Taipei Forex Inc. That’s the weakest level since Feb. 25.
Export orders, an indication of shipments in the next one to three months, rose 7 percent in August from a year earlier, compared with an increase of 11.1 percent the previous month, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey before a report tomorrow.
The yield on the 2 percent bonds due July 2016 slid two basis points, or 0.02 percentage point, to 0.965 percent in Taipei, according to Gretai Securities Market.
To contact the reporter on this story: Lilian Karunungan in Singapore at lkarunungan@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Sandy Hendry at shendry@bloomberg.net