Markets & Finance News

Lee Kun-hee, charismatic leader of Samsung Group, South Korea’s biggest conglomerate, died on Sunday, the company said, six years after he was hospitalised for a heart attack.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority sold HK$2.263 billion ($292 million) into the market in New York trading hours after the local currency hit the strong end of its trading band, according to data released by the HKMA.

* Dow Jones Industrial Average close down 0.1%; S&P 500 up 0.3%

The U.S. Treasury Department is unlikely to release its long-delayed semi-annual report to Congress on international currency manipulation until after the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The dollar weakened slightly against a basket of major currencies on Friday amid uncertainty over a new round of stimulus ahead of the upcoming U.S. elections, with the greenback set to record a weekly decline of around 1%. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said another round of COVID-19 aid was still was possible before the Nov. 3 elections, but that President Donald Trump would have to get reluctant Republicans on board if he wants a deal. Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin countered that Pelosi must compromise to get an aid package, saying significant differences remained between the Republican administration and Democrats. The market, pricing in a Biden victory, still expects a stimulus package by the end of the year, said Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Western Union Business Solutions. "So risk appetite has held the upper hand this week on hopes for a bold stimulus and that has kept the dollar on its back foot," he said. The dollar index was last down 0.23%, or 1% for the week. Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden squared off on Friday in a less raucous debate than their previous meeting, but tensions were high, with a focus on the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and plenty of personal attacks thrown into the mix. The dollar is likely to be stuck in a holding pattern in the near term, given the risk that the election could be contested, and as the market waits for clarity on the fiscal aid package, said Boris Schlossberg, managing director of FX strategy at BK Asset Management. In Europe, business surveys in France and Germany showed the impact of the second wave of COVID-19 infections in the euro zone's two biggest economies, threatening to derail the bloc's nascent recovery. Despite the data, the euro edged higher 0.34% against the greenback to $1.1859. "The bet here seems to be that growth returns with a vengeance in 2021, so you get these risk-on flows and that's why the dollar remains relatively weak, and that's why the euro, despite all the problems in Europe, the millions of COVID cases in Spain and in France, refuses to really collapse," said Schlossberg. The euro also firmed after Reuters reported that France was laying the groundwork for a fisheries compromise to help the European Union strike a Brexit deal with Britain. Sterling initially rose on the report, before giving back its gains, highlighting the headline risk to the currency around Brexit developments. The pound was last down 0.37% at 1.3033 against the dollar. Elsewhere, the safe-haven yen dipped 0.12% to 104.725 per dollar, while the Chinese yuan ticked up 0.03% against the dollar after comments from a Chinese official suggested authorities are not too worried about its recent rise. In the week ahead, U.S. third-quarter gross domestic product data is due on Thursday. "The report is likely to show the steepest quarterly expansion ever as the economy reopened following lockdowns which severely restricted activity in Q2," National Bank of Canada said in a note. Monetary policy decisions in Japan and the Eurozone will also be in focus. ======================================================== Currency bid prices at 2:58PM (1858 GMT) Descriptio RIC Last U.S. Close Pct YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid n Previous Change Change Session Euro/Dolla $1.1859 $1.1819 +0.34% +5.78% +1.1862 +1.1787 r Dollar/Yen 104.7250 104.9250 -0.12% -3.51% +104.9300 +104.5800 Euro/Yen 124.19 123.93 +0.21% +1.84% +124.2200 +123.4200 Dollar/Swi 0.9046 0.9072 -0.28% -6.52% +0.9092 +0.9035 ss Sterling/D 1.3033 1.3083 -0.37% -1.73% +1.3121 +1.3017 ollar Dollar/Can 1.3142 1.3139 +0.03% +1.17% +1.3159 +1.3110 adian Aussie/Dol 0.7134 0.7118 +0.24% +1.68% +0.7158 +0.7102 lar Euro/Swiss 1.0727 1.0720 +0.07% -1.15% +1.0729 +1.0703 Euro/Sterl 0.9098 0.9027 +0.79% +7.62% +0.9108 +0.9022 ing NZ 0.6683 0.6675 +0.16% -0.64% +0.6704 +0.6657 Dollar/Dol lar Dollar/Nor 9.2320 9.2585 -0.26% +5.27% +9.2935 +9.2045 way Euro/Norwa 10.9511 10.9329 +0.17% +11.32% +10.9875 +10.9042 y Dollar/Swe 8.7501 8.7509 +0.12% -6.39% +8.7933 +8.7345 den Euro/Swede 10.3771 10.3651 +0.12% -0.88% +10.3915 +10.3519 n (Reporting by John McCrank; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Global stocks treaded water and the dollar fell on Friday as investors were left hanging, waiting to see if a long-awaited agreement on a fresh U.S. coronavirus relief package will finally be agreed.

* Rouble steady after decision (Adds central bank, analyst comments)

Global stocks rallied and benchmark U.S. Treasury yields hit 4-month highs on Friday, buoyed by optimism that a deal can be reached on a fresh U.S. coronavirus relief package.

The dollar eased against a basket of major currencies on Friday following the final U.S. presidential debate, with fading prospects for a coronavirus relief package before the Nov. 3 elections pulling the greenback toward a weekly decline. Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden squared off on Friday in a less raucous debate than their previous meeting, but tensions were still high, with a focus on the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and plenty of personal attacks thrown into the mix. "It was certainly more productive than the first one, but I don't think there was any meaningful shakeup in the outlook for the election," said Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Western Union Business Solutions. The market is looking at a potential Biden victory as setting the stage for a more robust post-election rescue package, which is reducing the demand for the safe-haven greenback, he added. The dollar index was last down 0.13%, bringing it nearly 1% lower for the week. Given the potential risk of a contested election result, the dollar is likely to be confined to the range it has been in for the last several weeks, Manimbo said. In Europe, business surveys in France and Germany showed the impact of the second wave of COVID-19 infections in the euro zone's two biggest economies, threatening to derail the bloc's nascent recovery. Despite the data, the euro edged higher 0.2% against the greenback to $1.1844. "The PMIs weren't good, but they weren't as bad as expected, and that's the important point," said Marshall Gittler, head of investment research at BDSwiss Group. "Furthermore, stock prices are being boosted by some good earnings reports from Daimler, Barclays and others, and that's encouraging a 'risk-on' mood in FX too," he added. The euro also firmed after Reuters reported that France was laying the groundwork for a fisheries compromise to help the European Union strike a Brexit deal with Britain. Sterling also gained on the report, before easing back to 1.3065, down 0.12% against the dollar. The safe-haven yen dipped 0.15% to 104.76 per dollar following comments on Thursday by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi that stimulus talks had made progress. The Chinese yuan ticked down 0.11% against the dollar after an official at China's foreign exchange regulator said it has been more stable than expected, suggesting authorities are not too worried about its recent rise. The yuan has gained about 7.5% since the end of May as China led the global coronavirus recovery. ======================================================== Currency bid prices at 9:52AM (1352 GMT) Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid Previous Change Session Euro/Dollar $1.1840 $1.1819 +0.18% +5.62% +1.1860 +1.1787 Dollar/Yen 104.7600 104.9250 -0.15% -3.54% +104.9300 +104.5800 Euro/Yen 124.03 123.93 +0.08% +1.71% +124.2100 +123.4200 Dollar/Swiss 0.9049 0.9072 -0.25% -6.49% +0.9092 +0.9035 Sterling/Dollar 1.3065 1.3083 -0.12% -1.48% +1.3121 +1.3051 Dollar/Canadian 1.3136 1.3139 -0.02% +1.12% +1.3157 +1.3110 Aussie/Dollar 0.7117 0.7118 +0.01% +1.45% +0.7158 +0.7103 Euro/Swiss 1.0712 1.0720 -0.07% -1.29% +1.0726 +1.0703 Euro/Sterling 0.9061 0.9027 +0.38% +7.18% +0.9074 +0.9022 NZ 0.6676 0.6675 +0.00% -0.80% +0.6704 +0.6657 Dollar/Dollar Dollar/Norway 9.2415 9.2585 -0.10% +5.44% +9.2935 +9.2045 Euro/Norway 10.9410 10.9329 +0.07% +11.21% +10.9675 +10.9042 Dollar/Sweden 8.7567 8.7509 +0.04% -6.32% +8.7933 +8.7345 Euro/Sweden 10.3690 10.3651 +0.04% -0.96% +10.3825 +10.3519 (Reporting by John McCrank; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

The Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina spoke at an online press conference after the central bank kept its key rate unchanged at 4.25% on Friday.