Euro Stable After Record Low Versus Swiss Franc
The euro was mixed in quiet dealing Monday, staying near a record low versus the Swiss franc while seeing little movement against the dollar.
The fate of Greece continued to hang in the balance, ahead of this week’s austerity budget vote in Parliament. Greece will receive a second bailout from its euro zone partners if Parliament passes sweeping budget reforms.
Still, with few traders willing to bet that Athens will avoid defaulting down the road, the euro has slumped badly in recent weeks.
The euro was stuck at $1.4200 versus the dollar, having picked up a penny in very early dealing. Earlier in June, the euro briefly slipped below $1.40
Traders considered U.S. data showing workers saw a slightly smaller than expected increase in income in May. More ominously, personal spending was nearly unchanged.
Personal income increased 0.3 percent, or $36.2 billion, in May, slightly less than the 0.4 percent increase predicted by most economists.
The euro advanced to Y115 versus the yen, up from Y114 overnight.
Modest gains took the euro to GBP 0.8910 versus the sterling. The U.K.’s banking system is heavily exposed to Greek debt, and with the Bank of England expected offer more quantitative easing, the sterling has slumped along with the euro.
The euro remained below CHF 1.19 against the Swiss franc, after hitting a new record low of CHF 1.1804 last night.
