"We have seen a dramatic swing in interest differentials in favour of the euro," said Ben Laidler, global markets strategist at eToro. "The combination of falling U.S. inflation and rising recession risks have driven expectations of three Fed interest rate cuts this year compared to further hikes from the still-hawkish ECB." Fed funds futures traders are pricing for the Fed's benchmark rate to peak at 5.002% in June, from 4.830% now, before falling back to 4.278% in December. The next major U.S. economic release will be retail sales on Friday, which will be analyzed for how inflation is affecting consumer spending. Other data on Thursday showed that the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits increased more than expected last week, a further sign that labor market conditions were loosening up as higher borrowing costs dampen demand in the economy. The dollar fell 0.80% against the yen to 132.13 . The Aussie dollar , which is sensitive to risk appetite, gained 1.05% to $0.6765.
Australian employment blew past expectations for a second month in March while the jobless rate held near 50-year lows, an unambiguously strong report that suggests the central bank's tightening campaign may not be over yet.
======================================================== Currency bid prices at 9:39AM (1339 GMT) Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid Previous Change
Session
Dollar index 100.8500 101.4800 -0.60% -2.551% +101.6000 +100.8700
Euro/Dollar $1.1064 $1.0991 +0.67% +3.27% +$1.1065 +$1.0977
Dollar/Yen 132.1250 133.1950 -0.80% +0.78% +133.3850 +132.1350
Euro/Yen 146.19 146.33 -0.10% +4.20% +146.8800 +146.1400
Dollar/Swiss 0.8862 0.8964 -1.12% -4.15% +0.8974 +0.8863
Sterling/Dollar $1.2534 $1.2485 +0.40% +3.65% +$1.2537 +$1.2478
Dollar/Canadian 1.3379 1.3440 -0.40% -1.20% +1.3448 +1.3377
Aussie/Dollar $0.6765 $0.6694 +1.05% -0.76% +$0.6765 +$0.6687
Euro/Swiss 0.9804 0.9850 -0.47% -0.92% +0.9858 +0.9800
Euro/Sterling 0.8825 0.8802 +0.26% -0.21% +0.8827 +0.8793
NZ $0.6292 $0.6216 +1.22% -0.91% +$0.6292 +$0.6204
Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway 10.3470 10.4280 -0.65% +5.56% +10.4470 +10.3600
Euro/Norway 11.4499 11.4740 -0.21% +9.11% +11.4880 +11.4480
Dollar/Sweden 10.2621 10.3505 -0.11% -1.40% +10.3578 +10.2640
Euro/Sweden 11.3555 11.3679 -0.11% +1.85% +11.4044 +11.3539
(Reporting by Karen Brettell; Additional reporting by Harry Robertson in London; Editing by Angus MacSwan
and Mark Potter)