Monday, December 20, 2010

FOREX-Debt unease pushes euro to all-time low vs CHF - Reuters

Mon Dec 20, 2010 8:02am EST

* EUR falls to record low below 1.27 Swiss francs EURCHF=

* Euro struggles on Irish, euro zone debt uncertainty

* Analysts see single currency remaining vulnerable

(Adds quote, updates prices)

By Naomi Tajitsu

LONDON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The euro hit an all-time low against the Swiss franc and slipped versus the dollar on Monday as investors looked for more aggressive solutions from European leaders to the euro zone's debt problems.

The single currency EURCHF= fell to around 1.2693 Swiss francs on EBS trading platform, its weakest since the euro's launch in 1999 with the Swiss currency helped by investors seeking safety, though trading was seasonally thin and illiquid.

The euro continued to smart from last week's five-notch Irish rating downgrade by Moody's, and analysts said it would continue to struggle until European officials clarify how they will address funding and liquidity problems of indebted countries.

"The ratings change at the end of last week is still keeping the euro under selling pressure," said Carl Hammer, currency strategist at SEB in Stockholm.

The euro EUR= slipped 0.1 percent against the dollar to $1.3160, having dropped as low as $1.3125 in earlier trade, its lowest since Dec. 2.

The single currency also hit a record low against the Australian dollar EURAUD=R around A$1.3243 as both the Australian and New Zealand dollars benefited from gains in equity and commodity prices.

SEB's Hammer said a swap arrangement between the ECB and the Bank of England [ID:nFLAHNE6GD] last week to boost sterling liquidity for Irish banks underlined that their problems had not been fully resolved by the country's bailout last month.

Analysts said the euro remained under pressure after EU leaders last week failed to produce a substantive plan to bulk up a temporary support fund for the region's weaker economies.

Debt problems facing the euro zone were also highlighted as the European Central Bank expressed "serious concerns" that Ireland's bailout package could affect the institution's liquidity operations in the euro zone. [ID:nLDE6BI0HC]

"Until there's more clarity on where ultimate responsibility lies -- not just fiscal but at the policy level -- we'll be living with this issue for quite some time," said Ned Rumpeltin, head of G10 currency strategy at Standard Chartered, who forecasts the euro will slide to $1.20 by mid-2011.


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