The dollar slipped against a basket of major currencies for a second straight day on Wednesday but still managed to hit a fresh 20-year high against the yen, while the euro strengthened ahead of a policy announcement by the European Central Bank.

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The yen weakened to hit 134.47 per dollar, its softest since Feb. 27, 2002, and the euro hit its highest level against the safe-haven yen since Jan. 5, 2015, as the Bank of Japan remains one of the few global central banks to maintain a dovish stance while others have adopted tightening policies of hiking interest rates to combat inflation.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is expected to take a hawkish stance, with interest rate hikes to begin in July as traders price in 75 basis points of hikes by September.

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Japanese policymakers, however, stood by their stance supporting a weaker yen on Wednesday, saying it is a positive for the economy.

The Japanese yen weakened 0.95% versus the greenback at 133.87 per dollar, while Sterling was last trading at $1.2549, down 0.31% on the day.

The pound was down against the dollar as political risks and fears of a slowing economy weighed on sterling in the wake of a confidence vote on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday.

In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin last fell 3.09% to $30,361.18.