LONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Emerging market currencies
worldwide continued to trade under the cloud of Asian
uncertainty on Monday, with concern about the stability of the
Chinese and Taiwanese units prompting local central bank action.
Dealers in Shanghai said the People's Bank of China bought
the yuan to hold it at 8.2800 per dollar. It was at least the
third such operation this month alone, they said.
Taiwan's central bank, meantime, issued a one-page statement
reserving the right to intervene to defend the Taiwan dollar
against what it saw as an unjustified depreciation of the local
currency to seven-week lows.
"You have a wave of negative sentiment fueled first and
foremost by developments in Asia and concerns about the (yuan)
renminbi as well as the Hong Kong peg," said Charles Blitzer,
chief economist, emerging markets at brokers Donaldson, Lufkin
and Jenrette.
"I think those concerns are somewhat misplaced," Blitzer
said. "The Chinese reiterated yesterday that they will not be
devaluing the renminbi and I think that is credible unless we
begin to see the yen in real freefall and breach 160."
The dollar hovered just below its 1998 high at 146.75 yen on
Monday.
The latest wave of jitters in regional Asian financial
markets centre on the risk that a weakening Japanese yen may
eventually force China and Hong Kong to match last year's series
of sharp currency devaluations elsewhere in Asia.
A Chinese devaluation could, in turn, trigger another round
of devaluations across the economically depressed region,
analysts said.
The risk of another shock of that proportion is keeping
foreign investors shy of local securities and continues to
undermine confidence in high-yielding emerging markets in
general.
The gloom in Asia combined with concerns about weakening
U.S. stocks to pile pressure on Latin American debt and currency
markets on Monday and has added to the woes in already fragile
Russian and South Africian currencies.
In a note to clients about the South African rand on Monday,
analysts at Bank Julius Baer recommended steering clear of the
currency for now despite talk of a bounce back from recent sharp
losses.
"Although the rand is now cheap on purchasing power
measures, recovery will not be easy this time," economist Paul
MacNamara wrote.
MacNamara cited investors' current aversion to high-risk
assets and a perceived inability of South African authorities to
maintain high interest rates in the face of more vocal domestic
calls for higher growth.
"The markets have now decisively called South Africa's bluff
on its ability to sustain high interest rates," he said.
FOREX MARKETS SNAPSHOT. The following is a snapshot of
emerging markets currency rates. Double-click on currency codes
for updated price quotes.
* ASIA <AFX=>
* Chinese yuan <CNY=> at 8.2799 vs 8.2801 on Friday. New taiwan
dollar <TWD=> 34.65 vs 34.60.
* Indonesian rupiah <IDR=> 13,000 vs 12,700 on Friday.
* Malaysian ringgit <MYR=> 4.23 per dollar bid vs 4.2055
* Thai baht <THB=TH> at 41.75 per dollar vs 41.85
* Philippine peso <PHP=> 44.05 per dollar vs 43.25
* South Korean won <KRW=> at 1,324 per dollar vs 1,325
* Singapore dollar <SGD=> 1.747 per dollar versus 1.7540
* Indian rupee <INR=> 42.55 per dollar vs 42.57
* EUROPE <EUROPEFX=>
* Russian rouble <RUB=> at 6.2910 per dollar bid vs 6.2880 on
Friday.
* Zloty 8.55 percent above target basket parity vs 8.66/8.55 at
on Friday.
* Mark/Czech crown <DEMCZK=> at 17.617 bid vs 17.39
* Slovak crown <DEMSKK=> 19.597 on mark vs 19.576
* Ukrainian hryvnia <UAH=> at 2.1447 er dollar vs 2.1423
* Romanian leu <ROL=> at 8,705 per dollar vs 8,705
* AFRICA <AFRICAFX=> & MIDEAST <MEFX=>
* Israeli shekel <ILS=> 3.6680 bid on dollar from Friday's
3.7113
* South African rand <ZAR=> at 6.2830 per dollar vs 6.2700
* Kenyan shilling <KES=> at 58.95 vs 59.00
* LATIN AMERICA <LATAMFX=>
* Mexican peso <MXN=> at 9.135 per dollar vs 9.016
* Brazil's real <BRL=> at 1.1688 per dollar vs 1.1679
((London newsroom +44 171 542 6762, fax 583 7239,
uk.emergingmarkets.news@reuters.com))
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