An employee counts U.S. banknotes at a bank in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung
The U.S. dollar rose against the Vietnamese dong Wednesday morning while staying firm against major currencies.
Vietcombank sold the greenback at VND26,368, up 0.008% from Tuesday. The currency gained 0.27% to around VND26,737 on the black market.
The State Bank of Vietnam raised its reference rate by 0.008% to VND25,113.
Globally, the dollar firmed on Wednesday as investors awaited a closely watched Federal Reserve rate decision in what was likely to be Chair Jerome Powell’s swan song, with war in the Middle East raging and hopes for an imminent resolution dimming, Reuters reported.
Efforts to end the Iran war were at an impasse with Donald Trump unhappy with the latest proposal from Tehran, as the U.S. President wants nuclear issues dealt with from the outset.
That kept the market mood fragile and the dollar underpinned by safe-haven demand.
Currencies held tight ranges in thinned Asia trade, with markets in Japan closed for a holiday and a slew of major central bank decisions still on deck.
Against a basket of currencies, the dollar held to a small overnight gain and steadied at 98.57. The Canadian dollar strengthened slightly to C$1.3676 while the Japanese currency was last little changed at 159.55.
The euro last bought $1.1716 while sterling was little changed at $1.3523, as both currencies edged further away from their highs hit earlier this month.
Elsewhere, the Australian dollar held near a four-year high and last bought $0.7187. The New Zealand dollar rose 0.05% to $0.5888.
