The US Dollar firmed up a bit as traders cover short positions, and higher yielding instruments fell on profit taking. The US$ was a bit firmer Tuesday, pulling up from its recent 14 month lows, as investors unwound short positions and took profits in high-yielding currencies after a sharp drop in stocks and commodities. The VIX indicator .VIX, Wall Street’s favourite barometer of market volatility, jumped 9.16% Monday, highlighting the skittish sentiment on stocks, and other riskier assets like growth linked currencies. The US$, a safe-haven when doubts about a global recovery emerge, traded firm around the 76 mark against a basket of currencies, posting its best daily gain since September Monday, pulling further away from a 14 month low of 74.94 on Oct. 21. Savvy market observers said the heavy short positioning on the US$ had made many investors hesitant to sell the “greenback” despite the economy’s weak fundamentals. Data late last week showed currency speculators increased their bets against the US$ in the week to Oct. 20 with the value of net short positions rising to US$18.65B from US$17.99B the week prior. Look for some wariness among traders ahead of Q-3 US gross domestic product (GDP) data Thursday. Some are expecting the US economy to expand 3.3% in Q-3. Anything lower, like the shock GDP numbers from the UK late last week, could trigger another wave of selling in riskier assets.
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