* U.S. dollar posts worst quarterly loss in three years
* Mnuchin, Pelosi meet to discuss new stimulus bill
* Debate confirms uncertain election outlook, boosts dollar
* U.S. private employment rises in September
* U.S. GDP final estimate shows steep contraction
* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
(Adds new analyst quote, stimulus comment from Sen. McConnell, updates prices,)
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss
NEW YORK, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The dollar fell against most currencies in choppy trading on Wednesday,
as risk sentiment improved on renewed hopes for another stimulus package that could help ease the economic
pain of the coronavirus-induced recession.
Overall, the dollar posted it worst quarter since September 2017, with a fall of about 3.5% as
expectations for a swift recovery from the COVID-19 economic crash made investors exit safe havens and buy
into riskier currencies.
The greenback slid against the Japanese yen and weakened versus currencies associated with higher risk
appetite such as the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian dollars.
U.S. House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met on
Wednesday in a bid to broker a bipartisan deal on stalled COVID-19 relief legislation ahead of the Nov. 3
election. Shares on Wall Street rose, while U.S. Treasury prices fell as risk aversion eased.
"Optimism abounds on the stimulus, whether that's foolhardy or not," said Amo Sahota, executive
director at currency advisory firm Klarity FX in San Francisco.
"It's obvious that we do need something. I am not sure the bill will push through, but any positive
news the market is kind of jumping on it," he added.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell late on Wednesday poured cold water though on some of that
optimism. He said Republicans and Democrats are still very far apart on how much to spend on another
coronavirus relief package. The dollar index last traded little changed at 93.89 =USD . The index hit a two-month high last
Friday.
"It's encouraging to hear the rhetoric, but until it is signed, sealed, and delivered, the market will
be skeptical," said Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst, at Western Union Business Solutions in Washington.
Tuesday's highly contentious debate between U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe
Biden boosted the dollar earlier, as it reinforced concerns that the outcome of the Nov. 3 presidential
election could be contested.
Trump and Biden battled fiercely over the Republican incumbent's record on the coronavirus pandemic,
health care and the economy in a chaotic and ill-tempered first debate marked by the current president's
personal insults and repeated interruptions. The greenback earlier was also boosted by quarter-end and month-end portfolio rebalancing, analysts
said. Demand for dollars tends to rise at the end of quarters as portfolio rebalancing and fund transfers
require currencies like the euro and sterling to be converted to dollars.
U.S. economic data was also for the most part dollar-supportive.
U.S. private employers stepped up hiring in September, with private payrolls increasing by 749,000
jobs this month, the ADP National Employment Report showed on Wednesday. Another piece of data, however, showed U.S. gross domestic product plunged at a 31.4% annualized rate
in the second quarter, the steepest drop since the government started keeping records in 1947. The dollar fell 0.2% against the yen to 105.49 JPY=EBS .
The Australian dollar rose 0.5% against the greenback to US$0.7163 AUD=D3 . The New Zealand dollar
gained 0.4% to US$0.6611 NZD=D3 . Against the Canadian dollar, the U.S. dollar fell 0.6% C$1.3312
CAD=D3 .
The euro EUR=EBS was down 0.2% against the dollar at $1.1717.
========================================================
Currency bid prices at 3:04PM (1904 GMT)
Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid
Previous Change
Session
Euro/Dollar EUR= $1.1716 $1.1742 -0.22% +4.51% +1.1755 +1.1686
Dollar/Yen JPY= 105.4800 105.6400 -0.15% -3.10% +105.8000 +105.4100
Euro/Yen EURJPY= 123.59 124.05 -0.37% +1.34% +124.2400 +123.5600
Dollar/Swiss CHF= 0.9209 0.9192 +0.18% -4.85% +0.9244 +0.9163
Sterling/Dollar GBP= 1.2903 1.2861 +0.33% -2.69% +1.2942 +1.2807
Dollar/Canadian CAD= 1.3313 1.3387 -0.55% +2.52% +1.3420 +1.3301
Australian/Doll AUD= 0.7163 0.7127 +0.51% +2.02% +0.7175 +0.7101
ar
Euro/Swiss EURCHF= 1.0792 1.0796 -0.04% -0.55% +1.0816 +1.0763
Euro/Sterling EURGBP= 0.9081 0.9127 -0.50% +7.40% +0.9157 +0.9067
NZ NZD= 0.6609 0.6586 +0.35% -1.89% +0.6625 +0.6570
Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway NOK= 9.3435 9.4185 -0.80% +6.44% +9.4944 +9.3305
Euro/Norway EURNOK= 10.9491 11.0617 -1.02% +11.30% +11.1141 +10.9369
Dollar/Sweden SEK= 8.9571 8.9580 -0.32% -4.18% +9.0343 +8.9375
Euro/Sweden EURSEK= 10.4970 10.5306 -0.32% +0.27% +10.5735 +10.4840