TOKYO- The US dollar held on to gains against most currencies on Wednesday as renewed questions about a coronavirus vaccine and lack of an agreement on additional US fiscal stimulus prompted a shift to safer assets.
The yuan was little changed versus the dollar after the central bank’s daily fixing of the yuan’s mid-point was largely in line with estimates, suggesting authorities have paused their attempts to rein in the currency.
The euro and British pound are likely to extend declines, analysts said, as a return of restrictions on economic activity in Europe and Britain to battle a second wave of coronavirus infections unnerves investors.
Currency moves, however, are likely to be subdued as the US presidential election looms on Nov. 3, but analysts said sentiment is leaning against riskier bets, which should support the dollar in the coming days.
“Many factors are pointing to more upside for the dollar,” said Masafumi Yamamoto, chief currency strategist at Mizuho Securities.
“US stimulus may not come until after the election. The People’s Bank of China is halting the yuan’s rise. There’s no reason to buy the euro, and there are a lot of euro longs that need to be unwound.”
The dollar last stood at $1.1744 per euro, holding on to a 0.6 percent gain from the previous session.
