Business
Euro Dips, As EU Debt Talks Resume
The euro hovered near a seven-week low against the dollar as investors sought clarity over how fresh talks on further aid for highly indebted euro zone countries might pan out.
The euro skidded to lowest levels since late March at 1.4048 dollars in Asian trade as news that IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn had been accused of attempted rape added to the uncertainty.
Strauss-Kahn had been due to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday and join euro zone finance ministers on Monday to discuss the bloc’s debt crisis and how to handle Greece, which is struggling to meet the terms of a 110 billion euro European Union/IMF bailout granted last year.
Traders said the euro’s fall met with strong demand from Asian sovereign accounts who were still keen to buy on dips in the single currency.
This helped the euro to bounce back to 1.4140 dollars in European trade, up around 0.1 per cent on the day.
Market players said the euro could stay under pressure as meaningful progress on resolving the Greek crisis was unlikely at Monday’s meeting of finance ministers.
Greece is struggling to put its public finances in order under the joint three-year European Union and International Monetary Fund bailout program.
“The key is whether the Greek parliament will approve its medium-term fiscal strategy. Should that happen, Germany and the IMF will likely come to an
agreement to fill Greece’s funding gap,” said Raghav Subbarao, currency strategist at Barclays Capital.