The
yen slid to the weakest this month against the dollar and the euro after the
Bank of Japan boosted its lending programs and said it will maintain monetary
easing to stamp out deflation.
The
dollar erased gains against a basket of peers after a gauge of manufacturing
growth slowed more than forecast. Hungary’s forint declined versus most of its
main counterparts as the central bank dropped the two-week deposit rate to a
record low. The Thai baht fell with most emerging-market currencies as police
clashed with protesters in Bangkok. Investors outside the U.S. increased
holdings of Treasuries the most since 2011.
The
yen fell 0.4 percent to 102.36 per dollar at 5 p.m. in New York after
depreciating to 102.74, the weakest level since Jan. 31. Japan’s currency slid
0.8 percent to 140.83 per euro and reached 141.03, lowest since Jan. 29. The
dollar fell 0.4 percent to $1.3759 per euro and touched $1.377, weakest since
Jan. 2.
The
Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, which tracks the U.S. currency against 10 of its
major counterparts, was little changed at 1,017.34.
(Source: Bloomberg)