* Graphic: World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E (New throughout, updates prices, changes byline, dateline; previous LONDON)
By Karen Brettell
NEW YORK, March 1 (Reuters) - The dollar index rose to a three-week high on Monday as investors bet on faster growth and inflation in the United States, while the Australian dollar gained after Australia's central bank increased its bond purchases in a bid to stem rapidly rising yields.
The dollar has gained in the past few sessions as U.S. government bond yields jump on expectations that growth and inflation will increase as the administration prepares new fiscal stimulus and vaccinations against COVID-19 become more widespread.
Benchmark 10-year Treasury yields US10YT=RR edged higher to 1.432% on Monday, but are holding below the one-year high of 1.614% reached on Thursday.
"The dollar is trading relatively bid on the yield differential, on the growth expectation differentials," said Boris Schlossberg, managing director of FX strategy at BK Asset Management in New York.
The euro is lagging meanwhile, as the region falls behind in growth expectations.
"Everyone's waiting for Europeans to catch up, both on the vaccination front and then on the stimulus front. When they do, that becomes the final piece of the puzzle that really propels global growth forward," Schlossberg said.
The dollar index =USD rose 0.28% to 91.009, after earlier reaching 91.127, the highest level since Feb. 8.
The euro EUR=RBS fell 0.17% against the greenback to $1.2048.
Traders were also waiting for a speech later on Monday by President Christine Lagarde, who is under pressure to act against rising yields in the euro zone.
"There is little doubt in my mind that central banks will eventually lean quite hard against a sustained rise in yields. They simply can't afford to see it happen with debt so high," Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) strategist Jim Reid wrote in a note.
The Australian dollar rebounded from Friday's three-week lows after the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) increased its bond purchases to A$4 billion, raising expectations that other central banks could also buy more bonds if yields continue to surge. a very telling sign that central banks are not going to be intimidated by the bond market at this point," Schlossberg said.
The Aussie AUD=D3 was last at $0.7757, after dropping to $0.7693 on Friday.
The RBA will hold its monthly policy meeting on Tuesday, and markets expect it to reinforce its forward guidance for three more years of near-zero rates. safe haven yen JPY=D3 reached 106.77 against the dollar, its weakest level since Aug. 28.
In cryptocurrency markets, bitcoin BTC=BTSP rose 6.69% to $48,275 but was still off a record high of $58,354.14 hit on Feb. 21.
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Currency bid prices at 9:53AM (1453 GMT) Description
RIC
Last
U.S. Close Pct Change
YTD Pct
High Bid
Low Bid
Previous
Change
Session
Dollar index
=USD
91.0090
90.7680
+0.28%
1.142%
+91.1270
+90.6830 Euro/Dollar
$1.2048
$1.2070
-0.17%
-1.38%
+$1.2102
+$1.2029 Dollar/Yen
JPY=D3
106.6300
106.5700
+0.02%
+3.20%
+106.7700 +106.4000 Euro/Yen
EURJPY=
128.46
128.60
-0.11%
+1.21%
+128.9300 +128.3700 Dollar/Swiss
0.9143
0.9086
+0.65%
+3.37%
+0.9149
+0.9060 Sterling/Dollar GBP=D3
$1.3920
$1.3923
-0.06%
+1.85%
+$1.3998
+$1.3905 Dollar/Canadian CAD=D3
1.2669
1.2740
-0.55%
-0.50%
+1.2734
+1.2655 Aussie/Dollar
AUD=D3
$0.7757
$0.7799
-0.54%
+0.83%
+$0.7773
+$0.7706 Euro/Swiss
EURCHF=
1.1014
1.0968
+0.42%
+1.93%
+1.1023
+1.0964 Euro/Sterling
EURGBP=
0.8654
0.8670
-0.18%
-3.17%
+0.8669
+0.8621 NZ
NZD=D3
$0.7268
$0.7231
+0.50%
+1.20%
+$0.7292
+$0.7227 Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway
NOK=D3
8.5855
8.6665
-0.94%
-0.02%
+8.6610
+8.5760 Euro/Norway
EURNOK=
10.3460
10.4481
-0.98%
-1.16%
+10.4640
+10.3347 Dollar/Sweden
8.4296
8.4359
-0.27%
+2.85%
+8.4927
+8.3980 Euro/Sweden
EURSEK=
10.1591
10.1868
-0.27%
+0.82%
+10.2269
+10.1517
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https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
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