Dollar eases in Asia

The dollar eased on Thursday as traders sought some stability after 24 hours of high drama in global markets that saw a massive selloff in risk assets and an equally dramatic turnaround on Republican Donald Trump's shock US presidential win. With market uncertainty running deep over what a Trump presidency might mean for economic policy, traders quickly latched on to talk that the new administration will usher in higher economic growth and inflation, sending US bond yields surging overnight.
The dollar was last down 0.3 percent at 105.40 in choppy trade that took it to a session low of 104.99 from a high of 105.95, its loftiest level since July 27. It had sunken as low as 101.19 yen on Wednesday, as Trump's victory became more apparent and risk assets plunged, stoking demand for the perceived safe-haven Japanese currency. The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury debt fell back in Asian trading to 1.995 percent, compared to its US close of 2.064 percent on Wednesday.
Prices fell on 10-year Treasury notes and 30-year bonds on Wednesday, pushing yields to their highest levels in 10 months in a dramatic about-face from the massive risk asset selloff on Trump's stunning upset. Speculation in markets that Trump would enact protectionist trade policies and put upward pressure on US wages and boost inflation helped lift US bond yields.
"The US yield curve showed expectations for something similar to Reaganomics in the 1980's, when there was huge fiscal stimulus and a little bit of monetary tightening," said Masashi Murata, senior currency strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman in Tokyo. "But today's Tokyo session's action is very natural to me. Market participants recognise that some Trump risk remains, and the market should be ready for risk-off sentiment to return, which is why US Treasury yields dropped back below 2 percent," he said. Other market participants cited selling by Japanese exporters, who were absent from the previous day's Asian trading session when the yen surged.
Trump stated during the campaign that he would spend more on developing US infrastructure, which could increase the US budget deficit and Treasury supply. Trump also will take office with Republican majorities in both chambers of the US Congress that could help him implement his legislative agenda. "US yields were part of the reason for the dollar's rise, but there was also a lot of 'buy the rumour, sell the fact' and unwinding of the 'Trump trade,' after it played out, and a return to fundamentals," said Mitsuo Imaizumi, chief currency strategist at Daiwa Securities in Tokyo. The euro spiked as high as $1.1299 on Wednesday, its highest since September 8, before tumbling to $1.0902. It last stood at $1.0926, up 0.2 percent. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was slightly higher on the day at 98.523 after rising to an overnight high of 98.704, its highest since October 28.