The euro rose to two week highs on Wednesday after upbeat comments by a senior European Central Bank official, while the Canadian dollar pushed higher but remained under pressure amid concerns over heightened trade tensions.
EUR/USD was up 0.42% to 1.1760 by 03:49 AM ET (07:49 AM GMT), the highest level since May 23.
The euro was boosted after the ECB’s Chief Economist Peter Praet said officials are increasingly confident that inflation is rising back towards the banks target and will next week debate whether to begin gradually scaling back its asset purchase program.
The comments came after reports overnight that the ECB’s June meeting could see an announcement on when its monetary stimulus program would end.
Many traders had believed the bank would hold off on giving any new forward guidance this month amid uncertainty caused by political developments in Italy.
The euro climbed to two-week highs against the yen, with EUR/JPY rising 0.68% to 129.45.
The dollar was also higher against the yen, with USD/JPY up 0.28% to 110.08.
Demand for the dollar continued to be underpinned after strong U.S. employment data on Friday cemented expectations for a June rate hike by the Federal Reserve and revived expectations for a fourth rate hike this year.
The Fed is widely expected to raise interest rates at its upcoming meeting next week, following on from its last rate hike in March.
The pound moved higher, with GBP/USD rising 0.22% to 1.3419, having risen 0.71% on Tuesday.
Sterling was boosted by services data indicating that the British economy is showing signs of recovering from its recent slowdown, reviving expectations that the Bank of England might raise interest rates in August.
The Australian dollar hit one-and-a-half month highs overnight after data showing that the country’s economy rebounded in the first quarter. AUD/USD was last at 0.7650, not far from an overnight high of 0.7672.
The Canadian dollar pushed higher, with USD/CAD slipping 0.2% to 1.2944, pulling away from Tuesday’s two-month highs of 1.3066.
The loonie and the Mexican peso fell sharply on Tuesday following reports that U.S. President Donald Trump is considering holding separate trade talks with Mexico and Canada, fueling speculation that the U.S. could withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The Mexican peso was near 17-month lows against the U.S. currency, with USD/MXN at 20.41 after rising 1.65% on Tuesday.
