* Dollar index climbs past four-month high
* U.S. Treasury yields inch as high 1.64% after weak auction
* Graphic: World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
(New throughout, updates prices, market activity and comments)
By Jessica DiNapoli and Elizabeth Howcroft
New York, March 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar climbed
against a basket of major currencies again on Thursday, leaping
over a four-moth high, as investors' pared their appetite for
risk.
The dollar index rose about .28% to 92.85 in afternoon
trading. The greenback for the year is now up more than 3%.
Yields on Treasuries climbed to their highest in the session
after weak demand for the second month in a row at an auction on
seven-year notes. The session high yield was 1.642%. US10YT=RR
Thursday afternoon they yielded 1.630%.
The rise again in the dollar indicated investors were
shrugging off positive data showing fewer-than-expected
Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week,
and commentary from U.S. President Joe Biden that the economy is
gaining steam.
"The dollar has been grinding higher over the last few
days," said Mazen Issa, senior currency analyst at TD
Securities. "The bias here is that the dollar ... remains
elevated."
U.S. stocks, rose late in the day on Thursday in a session
marked by choppy trading. Concerns about extended lockdowns in Europe also weighed on
markets. Leaders in Europe met to discuss how to
ramp up supplies of COVID-19 vaccines after a slow start to
inoculations. The euro was down 0.41% against the dollar, at $1.1767
EUR=EBS , with analysts forecasting it could embrace the $1.16
range, as Europe's economic recovery lags.
The dollar was up .39% against the yen at 109.1500.
The Australian and New Zealand dollars, which dropped in the
previous two sessions, edged down slightly against the U.S.
dollar AUD=D3 NZD=D3 .
Bitcoin was roughly flat, down 1.43% at $52,360.51
BTC=BTSP .
The cryptocurrency briefly topped $57,000 after Tesla Inc
TSLA.O boss Elon Musk said on Wednesday customers can now buy
the company's electric cars with the digital token. Currency bid prices at 4:00PM (2000 GMT)
Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid
Previous Change
Session
Dollar index =USD 92.8500 92.5970 +0.28% 3.188% +92.9170 +92.5120
Euro/Dollar EUR=EBS $1.1767 $1.1815 -0.41% -3.70% +$1.1828 +$1.1762
Dollar/Yen JPY=D3 109.1100 108.6800 +0.39% +5.63% +109.2300 +108.7500
Euro/Yen EURJPY= 128.39 128.42 -0.02% +1.16% +128.9400 +128.4100
Dollar/Swiss CHF=EBS 0.9397 0.9358 +0.42% +6.22% +0.9399 +0.9351
Sterling/Dollar GBP=D3 $1.3735 $1.3680 +0.42% +0.55% +$1.3745 +$1.3671
Dollar/Canadian CAD=D3 1.2617 1.2582 +0.29% -0.91% +1.2629 +1.2547
Aussie/Dollar AUD=D3 $0.7579 $0.7581 -0.01% -1.46% +$0.7614 +$0.7564
Euro/Swiss EURCHF= 1.1056 1.1052 +0.04% +2.29% +1.1074 +1.1043
Euro/Sterling EURGBP= 0.8564 0.8629 -0.75% -4.17% +0.8641 +0.8566
NZ NZD=D3 $0.6952 $0.6961 -0.06% -3.13% +$0.6986 +$0.6944
Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway NOK=D3 8.6390 8.5685 +1.08% +0.86% +8.6665 +8.5900
Euro/Norway EURNOK= 10.1678 10.1608 +0.07% -2.86% +10.2154 +10.1360
Dollar/Sweden SEK= 8.6478 8.6046 +0.02% +5.51% +8.6749 +8.5985
Euro/Sweden EURSEK= 10.1755 10.1733 +0.02% +0.98% +10.2143 +10.1652
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World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
USD https://tmsnrt.rs/3a0DdOD
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