By Gina Lee
Investing.com – The dollar was up on Friday morning in Asia, holding onto gains made during the previous session, where it climbed up from three-years low after a surge in U.S. bond yields.
The U.S. Dollar Index that tracks the greenback against a basket of other currencies was up 0.29% to 90.395 by 11:47 PM ET (4:47 AM GMT).
The USD/JPY pair inched down 0.01% to 106.20.
TheAUD/USD edged down 0.17% to 0.7859. The AUD continued its retreat after topping the 0.8 mark on Thursday for the first time since February 2018 and dropped back down to the 0.7 mark.
The NZD/USD pair was down 0.43% to 0.7340.
The USD/CNY pair was up 0.28% to 6.4720 while the GBP/USD pair was down 0.42% to 1.3954.
The yen, which usually weakens as U.S. yields rise, dropped to a record six-month low against the dollar,
U.S. Treasuries, and government bonds in general, have become a focal point for investors globally as they pounced to price in the monetary tightening signaled earlier by the U.S. Federal Reserve and its counterparts.
The safe-haven yen’s decline came even as Asian stocks followed their U.S. counterparts down as the spike in yields fanned inflation worries. Emerging-market and commodity-linked currencies also retreated, with the Australian and Canadian dollars dropping from three-year highs.
“The fixed income rout is shifting into a more lethal phase for risky assets,” after initially being interpreted as a story of improving growth expectations," Westpac analysts said in a note.
“It appears to be the case that bond markets are ‘taking on’ the central bankers’ world view and standing in front of the current momentum is unwise,” the note added.
Bond yields have soared in 2021 as hopes for a U.S. stimulus package and continuous ultra-easy monetary policy rise. The quick pace of COVID-19 vaccine rollouts globally has also boosted the reflation trade.
Inflation-adjusted bond yields have seen a recent acceleration, reflecting growing concerns that central banks could scale back ultra-loose policies, even as they continue to strike a dovish tone.
The benchmark ten-year Treasury yield surged above 1.6% during the previous session for the first time in a year, after the weak demand for an auction of $62 billion worth of seven-year notes.
The yield spike also spilled into cryptocurrencies, with Bitcoin sliding 5% overnight and ether dropping 9%.