Dollar rangebound ahead of US midterms; bitcoin reels from crypto heist

The dollar and other major currencies settled into a rangebound pattern on Monday as investors focused on the upcoming US midterm elections, scheduled for this week. These elections could alter the balance of power in Congress and control over federal spending. Bitcoin and ether experienced losses following a record $6.3 billion heist at Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange.

Traders anticipated a busy week ahead, dominated by the US midterm elections, October US jobs data, and central bank rate decisions in the UK, Australia, Norway, and Sweden.

The euro weakened near a 17-month low of $1.1159 in early Asian trading due to Fitch's downgrade of France's outlook from 'stable' to 'negative', following Friday's close. The British pound remained steady at $1.3387, while the US dollar held at 101.94 against a basket of currencies.

Americans cast their votes on Tuesday to decide whether Democrats could gain control of Congress from President Donald Trump's Republican Party. Democrats are expected to win the House of Representatives, but the Senate remains uncertain. Analyst Eric Robertsen noted that strong anti-incumbent sentiment in polls does not always lead to actual election results, citing examples from Brazil and Israel.

In the aftermath of the crypto heist, Binance's customers withdrew $3.64 billion, or 2.1% of its assets, after the exchange resumed operations on Sunday following the hack, reportedly perpetrated by hackers linked to North Korea. Binance claimed to have recovered 95% of the stolen $6.3 billion assets. Richard Forss, chief technology officer at global prime broker EXANTE, highlighted the weak point in digital finance as the assumption that an employee's laptop can be trusted, which the industry has spent a decade attempting to secure.