Ecglcd：Euro slips below parity, yen steady ahead of BOJ
Ecglcd：Euro slips below parity, yen steady ahead of BOJ
The euro held below parity on Friday as investors eyed a potential slowdown in future rate hikes by the European Central Bank, while the yen was on track for its best week in over two months ahead of a key central bank policy decision.
The euro was last 0.05% lower at $0.9960, following a more than 1% slide overnight, after the ECB raised rates by 75 basis points, as expected, but took a more dovish tone on its rate outlook.
The central bank dropped a reference to increasing rates "over the next several meetings" that had been in its September statement, which traders took to mean that a series of large rate hikes was nearing an end.
"The ECB policy decisions were less hawkish than most had expected. Most of the surprise came, really, from the comments from Christine Lagarde saying that the ECB has already made substantial progress in withdrawing policy stimulus," said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia (OTC:CMWAY).
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, with the euro the most heavily weighted, was up 0.06% at 110.62, after gaining nearly 0.8% overnight.
"I think the gains in the U.S. dollar mostly reflect the dovish ECB meeting as well as the fall in euro/dollar," said Kong.
The greenback had fallen earlier in the week on hopes of a potential Fed pivot.
The yen last bought 146.41 per dollar, and was on track for a nearly 1% weekly gain, its largest since August.
The fragile currency has received support from suspected intervention by Japanese authorities to prop up the yen last Friday and on Monday.
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