Dollar retreats as investors reach for riskier currencies

Dollar retreats as investors reach for riskier currencies

"There are a few factors working against the greenback today, but it's mostly risk-on sentiment," said John Doyle, vice president of dealing and trading at Monex USA.

News that Saudi Arabia may pump more oil and reports that China will ease some COVID restrictions are helping bolster risk sentiment, to the safe-haven dollar's disadvantage, Doyle said.

Oil prices were little changed, erasing losses made early on Thursday after OPEC+ agreed to boost crude output to compensate for a drop in Russian production.

Shanghai sprung back to life on Wednesday after two months of bitter isolation under a strict COVID-19 lockdown, with shops reopening and people going back to offices, parks and markets.

The U.S. dollar currency index, which tracks the greenback against six major currencies, was 0.4% lower at 102.11, on pace to snap a two-day streak of gains.

The dollar found little support from data showing U.S. private payrolls increased far less than expected in May, which would suggest demand for labor was starting to slow amid higher interest rates and tightening financial conditions, though job openings remain extremely high.

Riskier currencies, including the Australian and the New Zealand dollars, advanced against their U.S. counterpart, rising 0.74% and 0.66%, respectively.

The Canadian dollar edged higher against