Euro holds Steady in Asia as Greek Debt Woes Persist

By: Barbara ZIigah


The Euro held steady in Asian trading today, despite comments from Greek officials that promised cuts in their budget deficit are unachievable given the current high costs of borrowing. 

As reported at 1:40 p.m. (JST) in Tokyo, the common currency rose to $1.3620, a 1% increase; yesterday it had slipped to $1.3586 on the EBS platform, though earlier this week it struck a new 5-week high when it hit $1.3819 on the EBS trading platform. Against European currencies, the Euro hovered close to a 17-month trough versus the Swiss Franc when it traded at 1.4405 Francs; yesterday, it had fallen to 1.4355 Francs on the EBS platform, which was the lowest point in more than 18 months. The Swiss Franc fell following comments from one of the Swiss central bankers who noted that interest rates cannot remain at their current ultralow levels, and consumers and businesses in Switzerland should ready themselves for increased borrowing costs. 

Another high yielder, the Australian Dollar, posted gains versus the U.S. Dollar, when it traded at $0.9209, an increase of .1% and near the 8-week peak struck last week when it hit $0.9253. The Aussie also moved up on the Japanese Yen, trading at 83.27 Yen, a rise of .2%.