Dollar softens on mixed U.S. factory reports

Investing.com - Investing.com - A mixed bag of U.S. factory barometers weakened the dollar against most major currencies on Monday by prompting investors to rethink when the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates next year.

The U.S. currency has seen hefty demand in recent sessions as markets prepare for U.S. monetary to tighten while Europe and Japan move in the opposite direction.

In U.S. trading on Monday, EUR/USD was up 0.19% at 1.2476.

U.K.-based Markit Economics reported earlier that U.S. manufacturing activity in November expanded at its slowest pace since January, as new export orders fell.

The Markit U.S. manufacturing purchasing managers' index ticked down to 54.8 in November from 55.9 in October. Economists had forecast a decline to 55.0.

Meanwhile in the U.S., the Institute of Supply Management reported earlier that its manufacturing PMI dipped to 58.7 from 59.0 in October, though still better than expectations of 57.9, though the dollar cooled its rally after posting strong gains on expectations for diverging global monetary policies.

The Federal Reserve has been taking steps to make U.S. monetary policy less accommodative while Europe and Japan have moved in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile in Europe, Markit Economics reported that factory activity in the euro zone slowed to a near standstill last month.

The euro zone's manufacturing PMI slowed to 50.1 from a preliminary reading of 50.4 last month, just barely above the 50 level separating growth from contraction.

Germany's manufacturing PMI entered contraction territory for the first time in 17 months, falling to 49.5, as new orders fell at the fastest rate in nearly two years.

The French manufacturing PMI remained in contraction territory at 48.4, while Italy's factory PMI came in at 49.0.

The reports came after data on Friday showed that the annual rate of euro area inflation slowed to a five-year low of 0.3% in November, down from 0.4% in October.

The dollar was down against the yen, with USD/JPY down 0.26% at 118.30, and down against the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF down 0.10% at 0.9642.

The yen rose on demand from bottom fishers after falling on news that Moody's downgraded Japan's sovereign debt rating by one notch to A1, citing 'heightened uncertainty' over Japan's ability to cut its fiscal deficit following a decision by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to delay a planned sales tax hike.

"Fiscal consolidation will become increasingly difficult to achieve as time passes given rising government spending, particularly for social programs associated with a rapidly ageing population," the rating agency said.

The greenback was down against the pound, with GBP/USD up 0.64% at 1.5740.

The dollar was down against its cousins in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with USD/CAD down 0.83% at 1.1321, AUD/USD up 0.05% at 0.8507 and NZD/USD up 0.55% at 0.7885.

The US dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.46% at 88.000.

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