Dollar, Treasury yields, stocks fall on Trump currency comments

NEW YORK: The US dollar turned lower along with Treasury yields and stocks on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said the dollar is getting too strong and that he would prefer the Federal Reserve keep interest rates low.

Major US stock indexes expanded losses to end lower for the day after the comments while gold futures rose. Trump, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, also said he would not label China a currency manipulator.

"The market had a big reaction, but I think it was an overreaction because (Trump) may just be hedging his bets by making sure that the American public realizes he's not backing down on trade. It's just that he may not think now is the right time to brand China a currency manipulator," said Kathy Lien, managing director, at BK Asset Management in New York.

"The dollar's already under pressure, so I think any excuse for further pressure is likely to bring the greenback even lower. "

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.5 percent at its lowest since late March.

The dollar was down 0.4 percent against the yen, which is a favorite in uncertain times due to Japan's position as the world's largest creditor nation. The dollar fell 1.2 percent against the yen on Tuesday.

US Treasury yields fell, with benchmark yields hitting a near five-month low due to Trump's comments favoring low interest rates. Benchmark 10-year Treasury yields were 3 basis points lower at 2.268 percent after hitting 2.259 percent, which was the lowest since Nov. 17.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 59.44 points, or 0.29 percent, to end at 20,591.86, the S&P 500 lost 8.85 points, or 0.38 percent, to 2,344.93 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 30.61 points, or 0.52 percent, to 5,836.16.

On Wall Street, defensive sectors were the biggest gainers in keeping with preferences for safety.

While a weaker dollar would help profits at multinational companies, stocks turned lower after Trump's comments, as he  added "another wild card," according to Peter Tuz, president of Chase Investment Counsel in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"We all know markets like fairly stable situations," said Tuz. "Is this just another offhand comment from Donald Trump or does it really mean something and is it the start of a policy that you'll see introduced soon?"

Gold was up 0.6 percent at $1,281.20 an ounce, after jumping 1.6 percent on Tuesday.

Trading Wednesday was also heavily influenced by rising US tensions with Russia, North Korea and Syria after US missile strikes in Syria last week and the moving of US warships toward the Korean Peninsula.

Investor optimism had briefly improved during a joint press conference in Moscow held by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russia's Foreign Minister but the signs of optimism ebbed afterwards as it became clear officials did not seem any closer to agreement on Syria.

Oil prices ended lower after reversing earlier gains due to a report on US crude stockpiles. Oil futures turned negative after eight straight sessions of gains on the US inventory data suggesting persistent oversupply.

Global benchmark Brent crude settled down 0.7 percent at $55.86 a barrel, while US crude settled down 0.5 percent at $53.11.