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Dollar stuck near 3-month lows, bitcoin struggles

In Economy
May 24, 2021
Dollar stuck near 3-month lows, bitcoin struggles

By Administrator_ India

Capital Sands

The dollar was pinned near three-month lows against a basket of major currencies on Monday, as bets on a robust global economic recovery continued to support currencies seen as riskier.

The dollar index hovered around the 90 marks, down 0.2% on the day and close to a three-month low of 89.646 hits on Friday.

The greenback, seen as a safe-haven trade, has steadily retreated over the past two months as optimism has built about the economic outlook.

European stocks opened up on Monday, closing in on record highs, although several markets, including Germany’s, were closed for a holiday.

Currency analysts were already looking ahead to key U.S. personal consumption and inflation figures due Friday for any warning signs that U.S. inflation could be gathering pace and putting pressure on the Federal Reserve to taper policy.

Traders are also watching for progress on a new stimulus package in the United States after the White House pared down its infrastructure bill to $1.7 trillion on Friday but failed to gain Senate Republican backing.

Among the currencies gaining on the dollar was the euro, up a quarter of a percent above $1.22. The single currency has gained around 4% on the greenback over the past three months.

In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin rebounded by 6% to just shy of $37,000 but is still well down after crashing in recent days, falling as much as 17% to $31,107 on Sunday.

Bitcoin halved in value just weeks after April’s record peak of $64,895, undermining the case for its mainstream acceptance.

Cryptocurrencies have tumbled after Elon Musk’s Tesla said it will stop accepting bitcoin for car purchases and after China further clamped down on them.