BANGKOK, Dec 31 (Reuters): Most Asian currencies were on course to end the second year of the pandemic on a negative note, with the Thai baht eyeing its worst year in two decades as the tourism-reliant economy remained under pressure from travel curbs.
The baht was the region’s worst-performing currency this year, losing 11.4%.
The Taiwan dollar and China’s yuan, the only two currencies in positive territory, were chasing an over 2% annual gain.
The yuan, set for a second year of gains, was poised to become Asia’s best performer. Trading at 6.3734 per dollar on Friday, the yuan was eyeing a 2.4% appreciation over the year on the back of strong trade surpluses and robust portfolio inflows despite overall strength in the US dollar.
Analysts at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) forecast…
