* Euro hits fresh 2-1/2-year high vs dollar
* Dollar falls to lowest since January 2015 vs Swiss franc
* U.S. jobless claims fall in latest week
* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E (Adds new comment, FX table, U.S. data, changes byline, dateline; previous LONDON)
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss
NEW YORK, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The dollar plunged to its weakest level in more than 2-1/2 years on Thursday, while the euro held above $1.21, as signs of progress towards U.S. fiscal stimulus and optimism about COVID-19 vaccines kept investors upbeat.
The greenback tumbled to a nearly six-year low against the Swiss franc.
Lawmakers in Washington have failed to reach an agreement on economic stimulus to help relieve the impact of COVID-19 in the United States, but there were early signs that a $908 billion bipartisan proposal could be gaining traction. appetite was also boosted by optimism about recent developments towards the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines. The UK approved Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE)'s vaccine on Wednesday. market is reading all news as dollar-negative," said Marc Chandler, chief market strategist, at Bannockburn Global Forex, despite near-term challenges such as rising COVID cases, and weakening global economic data.
"Investors are looking past all this and they look a bit further and they see the vaccines and they see a world that can start normalizing," he added.
In mid-morning trading, the dollar index, a measure of its value against six major currencies, fell 0.5% to 90.574, dropping as low as 90.554 =USD , the lowest since April 2018.
Data on initial claims for state unemployment benefits showed the number falling 75,000 to a seasonally adjusted 712,000 for the week ended Nov. 28. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 775,000 applications in the latest week.
The report also weighed on the dollar.
Although tensions between the United States and China pose a downside risk, the latest developments have had limited impact on global markets because of the expectation of more normalised trade relations under the Joe Biden administration. euro soared to its highest since April 2018 at $1.2172 and was last at $1.2171, up 0.5% EUR=EBS .
The European Central Bank said it will provide further stimulus to help the euro zone when it meets on Dec. 10. Market participants will also be paying close attention to any comments about the euro's strength. Kruger, market strategist at LMAX Group said he would expect the ECB to express discomfort with the additional currency appreciation.
The Australian dollar - seen as a liquid proxy for risk - was up 0.4% on the day at US$0.7441.
The New Zealand dollar also touched fresh 2-1/2-year highs above US$0.71 and last traded up 0.5% on the day at US$0.7096 NZD=D3 .
The dollar fell to a more than one-week low versus the yen and last traded down 0.7% at 103.70 yen JPY=EBS . The greenback also dropped 0.5% against the Swiss franc to 0.8893 franc CHF=EBS , after sinking to its lowest level since January 2015..
The pound was up 0.9% against the dollar at $1.3485 GBP=D3 , helped by the dollar weakness, as Brexit negotiations continue. EU diplomats said they hoped a Brexit trade deal with Britain could be agreed by Friday or at the weekend. bid prices at 10:48AM (1548 GMT) Description
RIC
Last
U.S. Close Pct Change
YTD Pct
High Bid
Low Bid
Previous
Change
Session
Dollar index
=USD
$90.5280
91.0220
-0.53%
+0.00%
+91.0930
+90.5040 Euro/Dollar
EUR=EBS
$1.2170
$1.2117
+0.44%
+8.55%
+1.2175
+1.2101 Dollar/Yen
JPY=D3
103.7450
104.5650
-0.80%
-4.50%
+104.5300 +103.6850 Euro/Yen
EURJPY=
126.24
126.47
-0.18%
+3.52%
+126.6500 +126.1500 Dollar/Swiss
CHF=EBS
0.8895
0.8949
-0.60%
-8.07%
+0.8953
+0.8892 Sterling/Dollar GBP=D3
1.3494
1.3373
+0.91%
+1.75%
+1.3494
+1.3353 Dollar/Canadian CAD=D3
1.2878
1.2917
-0.30%
-0.87%
+1.2940
+1.2873 Aussie/Dollar
AUD=D3
0.7440
0.7415
+0.34%
+6.04%
+0.7447
+0.7398 Euro/Swiss
EURCHF=
1.0824
1.0838
-0.13%
-0.26%
+1.0842
+1.0817 Euro/Sterling
EURGBP=
0.9018
0.9066
-0.53%
+6.67%
+0.9070
+0.9015 NZ
NZD=D3
0.7094
0.7065
+0.45%
+5.47%
+0.7104
+0.7051 Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway
NOK=D3
8.7480
8.8130
-0.81%
-0.35%
+8.8455
+8.7415 Euro/Norway
EURNOK=
10.6465
10.6600
-0.13%
+8.22%
+10.7140
+10.6352 Dollar/Sweden
8.4295
8.4632
+0.05%
-9.82%
+8.4981
+8.4228 Euro/Sweden
EURSEK=
10.2593
10.2543
+0.05%
-2.00%
+10.3040
+10.2470
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