* Dollar, yen rise as Goldman charges lead to safety bid
* Euro down on persistent Greek debt plan uncertainty
* EU, IMF Greece meeting delayed; Greek debt spreads widen
(Adds quote, updates prices, changes byline; dateline;
previous LONDON)
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss
NEW YORK, April 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar and yen
gained on Monday as investors sought safety in the
low-yielding, stable currencies after fraud charges were lodged
against Goldman Sachs Group and concerns arose about a delayed
meeting to deal with Greece's debt.
Financial markets were rattled after the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission charged Goldman Sachs <GS.N> with fraud
on Friday in connection with a debt product tied to subprime
mortgages. For details see []
Global stocks fell and benchmark government bonds, and
less-risky currencies, rose.
"This is clearly a risk-averse market, with investors in a
flight to dollar and yen assets," said Omer Esiner, senior
market analyst at Travelex Global Business Payments in
Washington.
"The main triggers are still the SEC's bombshell on Goldman
Sachs and the continued uncertainty about the Greek debt
situation, specifically as to how any aid package would be
applied or whether Germany would veto the package."
The dollar and yen typically get a bid in times of greater
aversion to risk, given the United States' and Japan's normally
stable banking systems and their standing as two of the world's
largest economies.
Investors are worried about how a European Union-
International Monetary Fund aid plan to help Greece avoid a
debt default might be implemented.
Talks with EU and IMF officials, expected to start on
Monday, were delayed to later in the week, Greece said, because
of a volcanic ash cloud disrupting flights across Europe.
[]
In early New York trading, the euro <EUR=> traded down
around 0.5 percent at $1.3429 after earlier falling to $1.3415,
its lowest in more than a week.
The single euro zone currency also weakened against the yen
falling 0.8 percent to 123.57 yen <EURJPY=R> after shedding
around 1.5 percent late on Friday when the Goldman charges were
announced. Earlier, the euro fell as low as 123.18, its lowest
in about three weeks.
The premium investors demand to buy Greek government bonds
rather than German benchmark bonds rose to record levels on
Monday as uncertainty over the aid package unsettled investors.
[] That has weighed on the euro as well.
"Any confidence which had been instilled by last week's
EU-IMF aid package appears to have completely fizzled out,"
said Tom Levinson, FX strategist at ING in London.
Traders said the 61.8 percent retracement of the February
to April rally was the next support level at 122.75 yen.
The ICE Futures' dollar index, a gauge of the greenback's
value against a basket of currencies <.DXY> rose 0.5 percent to
81.186, although it remains well below a 10-month high of
82.240 set in March.
Against the yen, <JPY=> the dollar fell around 0.1 percent
to trade at 92.07 yen. Technical analysts saw the next support
at the 200-day moving average at 91.35.
The pound <GBP=D4> fell 0.6 percent to $1.5262 on
persistent concerns Britain's upcoming general election will
produce no clear winner. Opinion polls ahead of the May 6 vote
indicate growing support for the Liberal Democrats, the third
party in the race.
(Additional reporting by Neal Armstrong in London; Editing by
Padraic Cassidy)
