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SINGAPORE (Reuters) -The yuan headed for its sharpest gain in two weeks on Monday, riding a wave of broad dollar selling as investors bet on U.S. rate cuts, but slid against a resurgent yen.
China's currency climbed as far as 7.1314 per dollar during afternoon trade and was last about 0.4% firmer at 7.1363, its largest one-day rise since early August.
The rally puts the yuan back in the middle of its daily trading band - after months at the low end - though that is mostly thanks to a weakening dollar rather than improving sentiment.
Yen gains continued to squeeze the yuan against a basket of trading partners' currencies, where it hit 98.07, the lowest level since Jan. 15, according to Reuters calculations from official data. The yuan fell 1% to 20.38 yen, its heaviest drop since August 5.
Traders are looking ahead to China's loan prime rate settings on Tuesday against a backdrop of cratering bank lending, falls in home prices and economic gloom that analysts think will keep the currency from gaining much further.
"The weak prospects for the Chinese economy and expectations for additional monetary policy easing will undermine investor confidence on Chinese assets and in turn reduce demand for the yuan," said analysts at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
The yuan "is unlikely to benefit much from a decline in the U.S. dollar driven by an improving global economy," they added.
Globally, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is expected to make a case for rate cuts in a speech on Friday.
Chinese government 10-year bond yields fell 1.8 basis points to 2.17%. The yield on similar U.S. government benchmark debt was 3.9%.
The yuan onshore 7-day benchmark repo rate was at 1.74% and in the forwards market, three-month yuan was quoted at 7.0695, 722 pips stronger than the spot rate. Three-month CNH forwards were quoted at 7.0682 per dollar.
The People's Bank of China set the midpoint rate, around which the yuan is allowed to trade in a 2% band, at 7.1415 per dollar on Monday, 133 pips firmer than a Reuters' estimate.Key onshore vs offshore levels:
* Overnight dollar/yuan swap onshore -7.25 pips vs. offshore-7.25 * Three-month SHIBOR 1.8% vs. 3-month CNH HIBOR 2.2%LEVELS AT 07:00 GMT
INSTRUMENT CURRENT UP/DOWN(-) % CHANGE DAY'S HIGH DAY'S
vs USD VS. PREVIOUS YR-TO-DATE LOW
CLOSE %
Spot yuan 7.1417 0.33 -0.56 7.1314 7.1585
<CNY=CFXS
Offshore 7.1411 0.3 -0.22 7.1278 7.1641
yuan spot
(Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Edwina Gibbs, Kirsten Donovan)
