TOKYO, (Reuters) – The dollar rose to an 8-month high against the yen yesterday, lifted by U.S. bond yields which resumed their rise in Asia after the Thanksgiving break shut markets in the United States.
The dollar was up 0.3 percent at 113.730 yen after hitting an 8-month high of 113.800 yen. It was on track to rise 2.6 percent on the week.
The euro nudged down 0.1 percent to $1.0545 and towards $1.0518, its lowest since March hit in the previous day. The common currency was poised to lose 0.3 percent this week.
“We kept expecting the dollar to adjust lower during its bull phase but that has not happened yet, since there has been no real opportunity for selling to take hold,” said Shin Kadota, chief Japan FX strategist at Barclays in Tokyo.
“How far the dollar can run will be mostly up to how much more U.S. yields can rise,” Kadota said, adding that there were not many factors to derail the dollar’s momentum for now though the turmoil in emerging markets needed watching.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield rose about 3 basis points to 2.382 percent from the previous close on Wednesday.
The yield rose above 2.4 percent midweek to its highest since July 2015 as the market continued to bet that the U.S. administration under President-elect Donald Trump will increase debt-funded spending and spur higher growth and inflation.
Lifted by higher yields, the dollar index was up 0.2 percent at 101.860 after rising to a 13-1/2-year high of 102.050 overnight. It was enroute for a 0.6 percent gain on the week.
