* Dollar gains after Trump positive test, yen hits week high
* Gains pared in early European trade
* Analysts say implications of Trump infection unclear
* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
By Tom Westbrook
SINGAPORE, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The dollar and yen rose on
Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump's positive test for
COVID-19 spooked investors, just a month out from November's
presidential election.
Trump said on Twitter that he and his wife Melania had
COVID-19 and would begin quarantine and recovery immediately.
The yen JPY= made its sharpest gain in more than a month
to reach a one-week high of 104.95 per dollar after the Tweet
and the greenback rose as much as 0.7% on the risk-sensitive
Australian dollar.
Both then pulled back as traders puzzled over how it might
affect the election, underscoring market uncertainty around the
implications for the November vote.
"The president of the United States has got a disease which
kills people. People are de-risking because of that," said Chris
Weston, head of research at Melbourne brokerage Pepperstone.
"But we're not sure how much this changes the election. The
prospect of Donald Trump surviving this is incredibly high," he
said, adding that the selloff could soon reverse.
Losses in the euro EUR= were more modest and it was last
down 0.2% at $1.172. The yen pulled back to 105.16 per dollar.
Sterling advanced after Downing Street announced British
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen would meet on Saturday to discuss next
steps in acrimonious Brexit talks. was last 0.2% higher at $1.2913 GBP= .
The Aussie AUD=D3 recovered about half its losses by the
end of the Asia session and was last down 0.2% at $0.7165. The
New Zealand dollar NZD=D3 was down 0.1% at $0.6645. AUD/
Both lost half a percent against the yen AUDJPY= NZDJPY=
but lifted from session lows. U.S. stock futures also pared some
losses, though commodities remained under pressure. MKTS/GLOB
Analysts said the next moves would depend on Trump's health,
how far the virus has spread amongst top U.S. officials and
politicians and on voters' response.
"As far as we know Trump is not gravely ill. It is possible
that by the time we reach New York trading that markets will
have calmed down," said Yako Sero, strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui
Trust Bank in Tokyo.
"However, this does damage Trump's ability to campaign and
time is running out before the election."
Against a basket of currencies =USD the dollar tacked on
0.1%, but remains down 0.8% for the week - its softest weekly
performance since late August - as hopes for U.S. stimulus have
had investors in the mood for riskier bets.
JITTERS
Still, even before Trump's diagnosis, investors had begun to
fret that the hoped-for U.S. fiscal stimulus package had stalled
in Washington, and were nervously awaiting U.S. jobs data due at
1230 GMT.
With House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary
Steven Mnuchin at odds over what Pelosi described as differences
over dollars and values, doubts are now creeping in over whether
a deal can be done before the election. The recovery is also slowing down, and economists expect
data due at 1230 GMT to show U.S. hiring increased by 850,000
jobs in September, a smaller gain than August. Concerns are also growing that coronavirus infection rates
are climbing in Europe and the United States.
Madrid will become the first European capital to go back
into lockdown in coming days to fight a steep surge in cases.
A record increase in new cases in Wisconsin on Thursday
fanned fears of hospitals there being overwhelmed. "With the President confirmed being positive, this is a
reminder to the market that the virus situation is still a
problem, "said Bank of Singapore FX analyst Moh Siong Sim.
"Other than that, I'm not sure what it means for the
market."