Dollar up for a third day as yields rise

LONDON (Reuters): The dollar rose for a third consecutive day on Wednesday as US Treasury yields rose before a Federal Reserve meeting where it is widely expected to raise interest rates for the fourth time this year.

US interest rates may be nearing a peak, but relative interest rate differentials still offered some support for the dollar index, which rose 0.02% to 97.41.

The dollar also got some help from reports China was considering cutting import tariffs on American-made cars to 15% from the current 40% and that a Canadian court granted bail to a top executive of China’s Huawei Technologies. “Investor confidence is building on the US-China trade front, and this has helped risk assets perform better today,” said Stephen Innes, head of APAC trading at OANDA, a broker.

However, market moves were restrained, with gauges of risk appetite such as the Australian dollar and the euro/Swiss franc little changed.

Sterling was the biggest loser, dropping below $1.25, after lawmakers triggered a no-confidence vote against British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday. China’s yuan gained in offshore trade to 6.886 against the dollar, extending gains from the previous day. The yuan strengthened on Tuesday on news that Beijing and Washington were discussing the next steps in their trade talks. The 10-year Treasury note yield inched up to 2.886 percent, continuing to pull back from recent lows.