New Zealand’s dollar led gains among major currencies as investor risk appetite rose after President Vladimir Putin said Russia isn’t seeking to split Ukraine further after annexing its Crimea region.
The euro fell as an industry report showed German investor confidence dropped to the lowest since August. The yen pared gains versus the euro and stocks rose. Thailand’s baht rose to a three-month high after the Cabinet approved lifting a state of emergency, while China’s yuan had the biggest three-day loss since at least 2007 amid concern financial risk is increasing.
Putin’s statement suggests Russia’s interest in Crimea “doesn’t mean they’re going to move to other parts of Ukraine,” Michael Sneyd, a currency strategist at BNP Paribas SA in London, said in a phone interview. “The comments have provided the market some relief. It’s the clearest in Aussie, kiwi, and the Canadian dollar, the high-beta currencies.”
The kiwi, as New Zealand’s dollar is known, climbed 0.6 percent to 86.16 U.S. cents at 10:18 a.m. in New York and touched 86.23, the highest level since April 12. Australia’s dollar, nicknamed the Aussie, gained 0.4 percent to 91.27 U.S. cents, while South Africa’s rand climbed 0.5 percent to 10.7266 against its U.S. counterpart. Canada’s dollar advanced as much as 0.2 percent before trading little changed at C$1.1054 per U.S. dollar.
via Bloomberg
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