EU session review: Euro touches one-month high on optimism

Data released:
09:00     EU(17)     PPI (April)    0.9%    0.9%    0.7%
09:00     EU(17)     PPI (April)Y/Y    6.7%    6.7%    6.7%

The Japanese yen rose against the dollar and the euro as a decline in stocks and signs that economic recovery is slowing boosted demand for safe-heaven.
The yen advanced as economic data including last week’s U.S. job report pointed to growth stalling.
The yen’s gain helped to pare its decline this year. The currency is down 5.2%. It has still beaten the dollar, which dropped 6.4% during the same period.
“The general trend of dollar weakening will continue until the Fed signals it’s going to raise rates,” said Greg Anderson, a senior currency strategist at Citigroup Inc..
Payrolls rose 54,000 in May, Labor Department data showed on June 3. That was below the median forecast for an 165,000 increase. The unemployment rate unexpectedly climbed to 9.1% last month from 9% the previous month.
The euro earlier reached a one-month high against the dollar on bets European Union officials will reiterate their intent to craft a new aid package for Greece.
EU and International Monetary Fund officials agreed to pay the next installment to Greece. Greece said a review of the country’s economic progress concluded “positively.”
“I expect the euro group to agree to additional financing to be provided to Greece under strict conditionality,” said Jean-Claude Juncker after meeting with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on June 3.
Producer prices in the euro region rose 6.7% in April from a year earlier, after a revised 6.8% increase in March, the European Union’s statistics office said today. The March producer-price inflation rate was the highest since September 2008.
The ECB is expected to leave its 1.25% rate unchanged at its June 9 meeting.

EUR/USD retreated after some consolidation around one-month high on $1.4660. rate later slipped to session lows on $1.4599.

GBP/USD continues to go down from Asian highs on $1.6460. Rate printed session lows near $1.6388 and currently tries to recover.

USD/JPY tested support at Y80.00, but failed to break under to spurr some recover to current Y80.14.

The Canadian Ivey Purchasing Managers Index is also due at 1400GMT.
At 1715GMT, US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner delivers a speech to the International Monetary Conference in Atlanta.