* Dollar off 15-mth low as mkt digests Bernanke comments
* Euro once again unable to hold above $1.50
* Soft U.S. PPI gives more ammo to low-rate argument
* China's Hu makes no mention of yuan after Obama meeting
(Updates prices, adds detail, comment, adds byline)
By Nick Olivari
NEW YORK, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The dollar rebounded strongly
on Tuesday from a 15-month low after Federal Reserve Chairman
Ben Bernanke's rare comments on the currency spurred traders to
trim long-term bets against the greenback.
Bernanke surprised investors on Monday when he said the
central bank was "attentive to implications of changes in the
value of the dollar," although he reiterated that interest
rates would remain exceptionally low for an "extended period."
Some took his remarks on the dollar, which is usually the
purview of Treasury, to mean the Fed fears depreciation could
stoke inflation. [].
"The Fed probably recognizes the last thing it needs is for
dollar weakness to spill into (higher) oil prices and force it
to tighten policy prematurely," said Alan Ruskin, strategist at
RBS Securities in Greenwich, Connecticut. "They don't want to
give the idea that they're taking chances with the currency."
That helped drive investors to cut exposure to higher-yield
currencies and assets and had the euro flirting with its
biggest one-day decline against the greenback since August.
It was last down 0.8 percent at $1.4845 <EUR=>, with a
session low of $1.4809, after rising as high as $1.5015 on
Monday, where traders said profit-taking and options-related
selling capped its rise.
Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Jeffrey Lacker said
on Tuesday that while the central bank pays close attention to
the value of the dollar, the Fed's main focus is to preserve
the dollar's domestic purchasing power. [].
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet also
spoke on currencies on Tuesday, reiterating his view that a
strong dollar is in the U.S. interest and that the euro was
never intended to be a reserve currency. [].
Eurogroup Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker said on Tuesday that
U.S. support for a strong dollar is important but the euro has
not yet reached worrying levels. [].
The dollar rose 0.2 percent to 89.31 yen <JPY=>, off a
one-month low, and 1.1 percent to 1.0182 Swiss francs <CHF=>.
The greenback also benefited as investors trimmed exposure
to risk, with equity, oil and gold prices all lower, gaining
sharply against commodity-linked currencies such as the
Australian <AUD=> and Canadian dollars <CAD=>.
FED RHETORIC, OBAMA IN CHINA
The dollar is still in a long-term decline, analysts said,
and weaker-than-expected U.S. inflation and industrial output
data offered little reason for the Fed to rush into higher
interest rates.[] and []
Bernanke's remarks were probably aimed more at "smoothing"
the dollar's decline than reversing it, said Societe Generale
strategist Peter Frank in London. He added that traders were "a
little uncomfortable" being long of euros above $1.50.
Bernanke's comments on Monday came as U.S. President Barack
Obama visited China, although few expect the trip to result in
any near-term changes in Beijing's foreign exchange policy.
Chinese President Hu Jintao did not mention the yuan after
meeting Obama, who only said he was pleased with China's
commitment to move toward a more market-oriented exchange rate.
[]
For the dollar to reverse its long-term downtrend, analysts
say China needs to take steps toward a more flexible currency
regime, or the Fed has to signal imminent rate hikes.
"Neither of those prerequisites have been fulfilled, so the
controlled, grinding lower of the dollar will continue," said
Johan Javeus, strategist at SEB in Stockholm.
(Additional reporting by Jamie McGeever and Jessica
Mortimer in London)
(Reporting by Nick Olivari and Steven C. Johnson)
