(New throughout, updates prices, changes byline, dateline; previous LONDON)
* Graphic: World FX rates https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E (Updates prices, adds detail and commentary)
By Karen Brettell
NEW YORK, March 2 (Reuters) - The dollar gained for a fourth consecutive day on Tuesday after a recent spike in bond yields challenged the market consensus for dollar weakness in 2021, while riskier currencies rose as bond markets calmed and stocks recovered.
Rising yields have spooked markets in recent weeks, with participants worried that an economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with fiscal stimulus, could cause a jump in inflation and potentially faster tightening from the Federal Revere than previously anticipated.
The rising volatility has benefited the greenback as investors unwind trades.
“If you do see volatility the natural inclination is to take risk off the table, in this case it just basically means getting out of existing positions and the dollar shorts are extremely elevated at this point” said Bipan Rai, North American head of FX strategy at CIBC Capital Markets in Toronto.
Short U.S. dollar positions were last at $29.33 billion, according to data by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. dollar index =USD rose 0.09% to 91.089, after earlier reaching a three-week high of 91.396.
Riskier currencies including the Australian dollar continued to rebound from last week's selloff as bond markets appeared to calm. The Aussie also gained after the Reserve Bank of Australia recommitted to keeping interest rates at historic lows. Australian dollar AUD=D3 gained 0.39% to $0.7802 versus the U.S. dollar, but remains below the three-year high of $0.8007 reached on Thursday.
Karen Jones, a technical analyst at Commerzbank (DE:CBKG), said that the Aussie and other risky currencies including the Norwegian krone appeared to be reversing from interim tops, which will likely be positive for the U.S. dollar near-term.
The “U.S. dollar bear trend is probably over” for now, Jones said in a report.
The greenback was last down 0.48% against the krone NOK= at 8.520 krone, but is holding above the 8.313 krone per dollar level reached last week, the weakest for the dollar in more than two years.
Safe-haven currencies including the Swiss franc and Japanese yen, meanwhile, continued to weaken on Tuesday as risk appetite improved.
The Swiss franc hit its lowest since November 2020 against the dollar at 0.9193 CHF=EBS .
The yen JPY=D3 was the weakest since August at 106.95.
The euro also fell after top European Central Bank officials sounded the alarm over the rises in bond yields. single currency EUR=EBS was last down 0.10% at $1.2037.
Bitcoin dipped 1.12% to $49,097. Citi said in a report that the popular cryptocurrency was at a "tipping point" and could become the preferred currency for international trade BTC=BTSP . bid prices at 9:41AM (1441 GMT) Description
RIC
Last
U.S. Close Pct Change
YTD Pct
High Bid
Low Bid
Previous
Change
Session
Dollar index
=USD
91.0890
91.0170
+0.09%
1.231%
+91.3960
+91.0090 Euro/Dollar
EUR=EBS
$1.2037
$1.2049
-0.10%
-1.49%
+$1.2050
+$1.1992 Dollar/Yen
JPY=D3
106.8350
106.8800
+0.05%
+3.52%
+106.9500 +106.7650 Euro/Yen
EURJPY=
128.58
128.61
-0.02%
+1.31%
+128.7600 +128.1900 Dollar/Swiss
CHF=EBS
0.9176
0.9148
+0.30%
+3.71%
+0.9193
+0.9146 Sterling/Dollar GBP=D3
$1.3916
$1.3926
-0.06%
+1.87%
+$1.3931
+$1.3860 Dollar/Canadian CAD=D3
1.2648
1.2645
+0.04%
-0.66%
+1.2697
+1.2633 Aussie/Dollar
AUD=D3
$0.7802
$0.7772
+0.39%
+1.43%
+$0.7815
+$0.7737 Euro/Swiss
EURCHF=
1.1043
1.1023
+0.18%
+2.18%
+1.1054
+1.1004 Euro/Sterling
EURGBP=
0.8649
0.8651
-0.02%
-3.22%
+0.8667
+0.8638 NZ
NZD=D3
$0.7266
$0.7266
+0.01%
+1.20%
+$0.7279
+$0.7210 Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway
NOK=D3
8.5195
8.5590
-0.48%
-0.80%
+8.6270
+8.4945 Euro/Norway
EURNOK=
10.2526
10.3100
-0.56%
-2.05%
+10.3790
+10.2268 Dollar/Sweden
8.4238
8.4235
-0.11%
+2.77%
+8.4703
+8.4150 Euro/Sweden
EURSEK=
10.1398
10.1512
-0.11%
+0.63%
+10.1667
+10.1327
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https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
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