Any event that leads to a decline in the premier's support ratings is seen weakening his ability to keep Abenomics in place. "With worries about the United States and China locking horns on trade issues and Japan's parliamentary testimony coming up on Tuesday, few participants are willing to buy the dollar," said Yukio Ishizuki, senior currency strategist at Daiwa Securities. "It really is typical 'risk off' trades dominating right now, with the yen and Swiss franc the big beneficiaries. But more speculators are jumping in, and any reversals could be sudden and violent. "The Swiss franc was little changed at 0.9467 franc per dollar after gaining 0.55 percent against the greenback last week.The euro edged higher at $1.2364 after rising 0.5 percent last week.The dollar index against a basket of six major currencies was steady at 89.453 and in close reach of a one-month low of 89.356 set last week.The Australian dollar added 0.3 percent to $0.7714 and the New Zealand dollar gained 0.35 percent to $0.7250.

Source: The Star March 26, 2018 00:45 UTC