* Dollar set for small weekly fall on possible US-Iran
ceasefire
* Analysts expect near-term dollar weakness
* Yen near key 160 intervention level; Tokyo inflation
stays below 2%
(Updates for European morning trading)
By Samuel Indyk and Jiaxing Li
LONDON/HONG KONG, May 29 (Reuters) - The dollar steadied
against other major currencies on Friday, but was on track to
end the week lower after sources said that the U.S. and Iran had
reached an agreement to extend their ceasefire and lift
restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The deal, still pending U.S. President Trump's approval, would
extend the truce for another 60 days and allow traffic to flow
through the strategic waterway while negotiators tackle
difficult issues such as Iran's nuclear programme, four sources
told Reuters.
The dollar benefited at the outbreak of the war, given its
status as a safe haven and the limited exposure of the U.S. to
imported energy-price inflation. It was heading toward ending
this week 0.3% lower, snapping two weeks of gains, on signs a
ceasefire deal may be close.
Those signs also sent Brent crude oil futures down
for a third day and on track for their second weekly decline of
at least 8%.
"In the near term, you'll likely see a weaker dollar," said
Kirstine Kundby-Nielsen, senior analyst at Danske Bank.
Longer term, the dollar should strengthen against the euro
given the relative growth trajectory between the U.S. and the
euro zone, expansionary U.S. fiscal policy, underlying
inflationary pressures related to AI and a resilient U.S. labour
market, Kundby-Nielsen said.
The euro traded flat at $1.1643, while the pound was
down 0.2% against the dollar at $1.3418. The Australian dollar
was steady at $0.7160.
The New Zealand dollar rose 0.4% to $0.5963, its
strongest level in more than two weeks, extending a recent rally
after the country's central bank governor signalled earlier and
steeper rate hikes were likely.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback
against a basket of currencies, was trading in a narrow range
near 99. It dipped 0.2% on Thursday and was down 0.3% for the
week.
Data on Thursday showed U.S. inflation rising at its fastest
pace in three years in April, driven by higher energy prices due
to the Iran war and cementing economists' views that the Federal
Reserve will hold interest rates unchanged well into next year.
YEN CLOSE TO 160
The Japanese yen traded at 159.30 per dollar, and
remained close to the psychologically significant 160-per-dollar
level that has previously led to interventions by Japanese
authorities.
Data on Friday showed annual core inflation in Japan's
capital stayed below the central bank's 2% target for a fourth
straight month in May, while factory output rebounded in April.
"We do not expect Tokyo's inflation gauges to derail a Bank
of Japan interest rate hike in June," said Samara Hammoud,
currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
"High inflation expectations and a tight labour market
support the path of policy normalisation."