* Traders on tenterhooks as U.S. election goes to the wire
* Cable hit by report BOE considering negative rates
* Dollar also in focus before Fed meeting
By Stanley White
TOKYO, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The dollar slipped to its weakest
level in more than two years against the yuan and eased against
other Asian currencies as Democrat Joe Biden edged closer to the
White House in a nail-biting U.S. presidential election.
Financial markets, however, were braced for days or even
weeks of uncertainty as Republican incumbent President Donald
Trump has opened a multi-pronged attack on vote counts in
several states by pursuing lawsuits and a recount.
That could hamper the dollar in the short run, traders say.
Elsewhere, sterling fell against the dollar and the euro
after a media report that the Bank of England, which announces a
policy decision later on Thursday, is considering negative
interest rates. The Federal Reserve, which is expected to keep policy on
hold on Thursday, is also in focus as traders navigate market
volatility in the wake of a knife-edge U.S. election that has
pushed up the yuan and the Mexican peso.
Biden has claimed the pivotal Midwestern states of Wisconsin
and Michigan. Late reporting showed the former vice president
with a lead in Nevada and Arizona, while Trump held a lead in
Georgia and Pennsylvania.
Expectations that a Biden administration would strike a
slightly softer tone on trade policy is likely to weaken the
dollar against the currencies of countries that often faced the
threat of tariffs during Trump's administration, analysts said.
"The moves in the yuan and the peso show that the market is
trying to price in a Biden victory," said Masafumi Yamamoto,
chief currency strategist at Mizuho Securities in Tokyo.
"For slightly different reasons, we could also see the euro
gain against the dollar."
The onshore yuan CNY=CFXS briefly rose to over a two-year
high of 6.6381 per dollar, extending its recent gains as China's
currency has become a popular trade to bet on a Biden victory.
(For the latest election results and more coverage, click: https://www.reuters.com/world/us-election2020)
Emerging market currencies such as the Malaysian ringgit
MYR=MY and the Indonesian rupiah IDR= also rose against the
greenback.
The euro EUR=EBS bought $1.1738 on Thursday, steady from
the previous session.
The British pound GBP=D3 fell 0.28% to $1.2957. Against
the euro, the pound EURGBP=D3 fell 0.34% to 90.56 pence.
The dollar was little changed at 104.28 yen JPY=D3 .
Even if Biden manages to surmount the legal challenges from
Trump to become the next president, Republicans look likely to
retain control of the Senate and can use that to stymie Biden's
agenda - another complicating factor for currency traders.
Some analysts said Republican control of the Senate would
prevent a Biden government from raising corporate taxes, which
is positive for equities. However, a divided government also
decreases the chances of big fiscal stimulus, which could be
seen as a negative, other analysts said.
The Mexican peso MXN= , which had suffered from the Trump
administration's hard line on trade, gave up some of its 0.9%
gain on Wednesday and fell back to 21.01 per dollar.
========================================================
Currency bid prices at 2:00PM (0500 GMT)
Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid
Previous Change
Session
Euro/Dollar EUR=EBS $1.1738 $1.1725 +0.11% +4.70% +1.1742 +1.1711
Dollar/Yen JPY=D3 104.2800 104.5000 -0.22% -4.00% +104.4900 +104.2400
Euro/Yen EURJPY= 122.39 122.53 -0.11% +0.36% +122.6200 +122.2200
Dollar/Swiss CHF=EBS 0.9110 0.9119 -0.12% -5.88% +0.9127 +0.9108
Sterling/Dollar GBP=D3 1.2957 1.2993 -0.28% -2.31% +1.2990 +1.2930
Dollar/Canadian CAD=D3 1.3134 1.3136 +0.01% +1.12% +1.3178 +1.3120
Aussie/Dollar AUD=D3 0.7165 0.7178 -0.18% +2.12% +0.7189 +0.7146
NZ NZD=D3 0.6696 0.6706 -0.13% -0.48% +0.6708 +0.6679
Dollar/Dollar
All spots FX=
Tokyo spots AFX=
Europe spots EFX=
Volatilities FXVOL=
Tokyo Forex market info from BOJ TKYFX
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Multimedia U.S. election coverage https://www.reuters.com/world/us-election2020
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