Euro gains, yen struggles in New York trade

The euro hit a 10-month high against the yen and rose against the dollar on Wednesday as markets braced for higher eurozone interest rates, while the Australian dollar hit levels last seen in the early 1980s. The euro erased losses against the US currency after a European Central Bank policymaker said the ECB intends to raise rates gradually, which traders said suggests next week's expected hike may be the first of several.
The prospect of higher eurozone borrowing costs bolstered hopes the world economy was improving and encouraged investors to take on more risk, a trend that looks set to carry the euro higher in coming weeks and continue to hurt the yen. The euro in particular has shown exceptional staying power. It is up 5 percent against the dollar in 2011 despite lingering fiscal problems in several eurozone states, prompting some traders to refer to it as the "Teflon euro." Wednesday's remarks from the ECB's Lorenzo Bini Smaghi should help the currency extend gains, as they "hint that a series of rate hikes may be coming this year," said Brian Dolan, chief strategist at Forex.com.
The euro's move above its 200-hour moving average around $1.4125 suggests a renewed uptrend, and a break of $1.4250 would make a rally to $1.44-45 likely, Dolan said. The euro hit $1.4147 and was last at $1.4128, well off a $1.4049 session low. It was also trading at 117.12 yen, just below its highest level since May 2010.
The dollar rose to around 83.19 yen, a level last seen on March 11, when the yen initially fell after Japan's earthquake. It last traded at 82.89 yen, up 0.5 percent. Traders reported offers from 83.30-50, with orders said to be thin until more supply placed at around 84.00.
The dollar hit a record near 76 yen this month when an earthquake in Japan fed speculation the diaster would force Japanese investors to bring money home from abroad. Japanese intervention stopped runaway yen gains and rising US Treasury yields have since carried the dollar higher. Remarks from some Federal Reserve officials about the need to tighten US monetary policy may have contributed to the rise.
Yield differentials are key to the revival of the "carry trade," in which investors borrow in low-yielding, low-risk currencies such as the yen to fund more lucrative trades. Investors also snapped up the high-yielding Australian dollar, which rose to $1.0338, its highest level since it was first floated in the early 1980s. It also hit a 10-month high against the yen. Scotia Capital strategist Camilla Sutton said repatriation flows into Japan may yet materialize, which could help push the yen higher, at least against the dollar.