HONG KONG - The US dollar fell broadly to a 10-month low on Thursday after Singapore unexpectedly tightened policy by letting its currency strengthen, lifting Asian stocks and copper to two-year peaks and gold to a record high.
Major European stocks opened higher, mirroring gains in Asia, with the FTSEEurofirst 300 up 0.3 percent in early trade to 1,089.22.
The move by Singapore, viewed by analysts as a preemptive strike before policy loosening by the US Federal Reserve sends more investment to Asia, underscored the global currency tensions that have sparked a war of words among some policymakers.
Indeed, the dollar's decline to near parity against the Australian dollar and a 15-year low against the yen were fresh reminders about the US currency's dim prospects on expectations the Fed will soon have to flood the financial system with more newly printed money, or quantitative easing.
"One thing that people underestimate is that the US will do everything in its power to reflate the economy. It's not just a question of QE2, but if required they will do QE3, QE4 etc," Pranay Gupta, chief investment officer for ING Investment Management Asia Pacific, said.
"Like it or not, loose monetary policy is here to stay and money flow coming out of the US and into Asia is here to stay," said Gupta, who oversees $85 billion in assets.
With the next Fed policy meeting and the next G20 summit still weeks away, the well-worn trade of selling dollars to buy emerging market stocks, commodities and longer-term bonds was still in play.
Singapore's monetary authority surprised traders by tightening policy, which it manages through a secret band in which its currency is allowed to trade. The news prompted the US dollar to fall broadly, pushing up the euro to an eight-month high around $1.4095.
"It is a pre-emptive move," Chua Hak Bin, an economist with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, said of the Singapore decision.
"Another Fed package would have brought interest rates even lower and driven more capital flows into Singapore."
The US dollar index, which measures the dollar's performance against six other major currencies, slid 0.7 percent to the lowest since December 2009.
The Australian dollar was at US$0.9963, up 0.7 percent on the day and within sight of parity, something not seen since 1982.
Australia's currency, which has benefited from having relatively high yields among G10 currencies, has risen 9.3 percent since September.
The falling US dollar lifted gold prices 0.7 percent to $1,380.45 an ounce, a record high, and copper traded on the London Metal Exchange up 1.5 percent to $8,487.00 a ton, its highest since July 2008.
Climbing commodity prices have been a boon for resource-related shares, and the materials sector gave the biggest lift to MSCI's index of Asia Pacific stocks outside Japan.
The index was up 1.5 percent to the highest since June 2008, having risen 14.5 percent since September, outpacing the 11 percent rise in the all-country world index.
Japan's Nikkei share average led gainers in Asia, up 2 percent. Resource stocks led the rise, although analysts said the yen's strength would limit the market's upside potential.
Gains in oil-related stocks helped to push up Hong Kong's Hang Seng index 1.1 percent to a 28-month intra-day high.
China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (Sinopec) stock rose 1.2 percent after analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch added the stock to its Asia Pacific Focus 1 portfolio, a list of its highest conviction buy-rated stocks.
