The dollar clung to most of its recent gains on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump said a trade deal with China was “close” but offered no new details on negotiations to send the greenback higher.
Hopes for an imminent a deal to wind back tit-for-tat tariffs the world’s two largest economies have imposed on each other have lifted the dollar 1% this week to a one-month high of 98.423 overnight against a basket of currencies.
It slipped a little lower to 98.309, though moves were modest as investors waited for more concrete trade news.
The dollar hit a month-high against the euro overnight and steadied near that level at $1.012 on Wednesday.
China's yuan weakened past the 7-per-dollar mark after the speech and was steady at 7.0232 per dollar in offshore trade on Wednesday.
Against the Japanese yen the dollar was stable at 108.97 yen - not far below the 5 1/2 month high of 109.48 yen it hit last week.
The British pound was steady at $1.2850, after a brief boost from the Brexit Party's decision not to contest Conservative-held seats at December's election faded.
The Australian dollar sat at $0.6842, close by a two-week trough.
Source: Reuters