U.S. banknotes at a bank in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy
The U.S. dollar fell against the Vietnamese dong on the black market Friday morning as it headed for a weekly rise against major peers.
At unofficial exchange points, the greenback slid 0.04% from Thursday to around VND26,445. Vietcombank kept the dollar stable at VND26,330.
The State Bank of Vietnam hiked its reference rate by 0.04% to VND25,185.
Globally, the dollar headed for a second straight weekly gain against major peers, buoyed by some solid U.S. economic data that supported the view the Federal Reserve can afford to wait a while longer before cutting interest rates again, Reuters reported.
The dollar index, which measures the currency against six leading counterparts, held steady at 98.456, keeping it on track for a 0.64% weekly advance and building on the previous week’s 0.91% rally.
The dollar index climbed as high as 98.951 on Thursday for the first time since June 23 after U.S. data showed retail sales rebounded more than expected in June and first-time applications for unemployment benefits dropped to a three-month low last week.
The dollar was steady at 148.60 yen, hovering not far from the 3-1/2-month high of 149.19. For the week, the dollar has gained 0.73% on the Japanese currency.
The euro rose 0.25% to $1.1626, clawing its way off Thursday’s three-week low of $1.1556. For the week, the euro is down 0.59%. Sterling rose 0.13% to $1.3436, slightly paring its weekly decline to 0.41%.
