The Australian dollar stood near 2-1/2 week highs on Tuesday s the market's favoured status-quo candidate, Democrat Hillary Clinton, appeared more likely to win a close US presidential election. With hours to go before Americans vote, Clinton has about a 90 percent chance of defeating Republican Donald Trump in the race for the White House, according to the final Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project.
The Australian dollar rose 0.7 percent overnight, its biggest daily percentage gain since October 19. It was down 0.4 percent at $0.7693 during early Asian hours on Tuesday. The Aussie was flat on its New Zealand counterpart while paring gains on safe haven currencies such as the euro and the yen. The New Zealand dollar inched down to $0.7328, not far from a six-week high of $0.7362 hit the previous day.
The kiwi was likely to tread water until the US election results were tallied, according to analysts. New Zealand government bonds eased, sending yields 2 basis points higher at the long end of the curve. Australian government bond futures were down, with the three-year bond contract off 1 tick at 98.30. The 10-year contract held at 97.6800. Global risk sentiment got a boost this week after the FBI cleared Clinton of any possibility of criminal charges in its latest probe over her email usage.
The Aussie has been helped by a sharp rebound in the price of iron ore and coal - Australia's two biggest exports. The currency has risen in 8 out of the last 10 sessions and is up 5.7 percent so far this year. Over the past few months, it has failed repeatedly to stay above 77 US cents make that a critical chart barrier. However, analysts say a Clinton win could finally crack it.
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