The Turkish lira also showed some sign of stability following a 7.5% dive on Monday after President Tayyip Erdogan sacked a hawkish central bank chief, but markets’ relief was offset by worries about fresh lockdowns in Europe.
The dollar crept 0.1% lower against the safe-haven yen to 108.74 yen and was steady at $1.1928 per euro, while making advances against the kiwi, Aussie and sterling.
The New Zealand dollar hit a three-month low after the government introduced taxes to curb housing speculation, a move investors reckoned could allow the central bank to hold interest rates lower for longer with less risk of a property bubble.
“The Reserve Bank (of New Zealand) will … likely revise down its house price forecasts,” ANZ Bank analysts said in a note. “This will add caution around official cash rate hikes via less-than-otherwise housing-induced domestic momentum.”
The kiwi lost as much as 1% and traded at $0.7093 during the Asian afternoon. The move also rallied Kiwi bonds, especially at the short end, and it pulled the Australian dollar about 0.4% lower to $0.7711. [AUD/]
Sterling slipped almost 0.2% to $1.3845 and oil linked currencies also fell with crude prices on worries that a new wave of infections will bring more lockdowns in Europe.
The Canadian dollar dipped to C$1.2544 per dollar and the Norwegian crown fell about 0.2% as well, as benchmark Brent crude futures dropped more than 1%.[O/R]
Germany is extending its lockdown until April 18 and calling on citizens to stay home over Easter and Chancellor Angela Merkel warned: “we are now basically in a new pandemic,” as more transmissible virus variants sweep the continent.