Asian currencies struggled in the wake of losses on most equity gauges. Renewed concerns over U.S. regional banks impacted risk taking and lifted demand for the safe haven dollar.
Shares of a U.S. regional lender, PacWest Bancorp, plunged
after it said its deposits fell 9.5% last week and that it had
posted more collateral to the Fed to boost liquidity.
The dollar index on Thursday rose the most in two
months. The S&P 500 Index dropped.
Concerns over the U.S. economy were seen as one more reason
for the decline in shares and demand for safe havens. The number
of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits jumped
to a 1-1/2-year high last week, a sign that the labour market is
cooling off.
(Reporting by Nimesh Vora; Editing by Sohini Goswami)