* Fed's Clarida builds case for insurance U.S. rate cuts
* Dollar index breaks below 200-day moving average
* Mnuchin says no change to use of stabilization fund
* ECB staff studying change to its 2% inflation goal -report
* Graphic: World FX rates in 2019 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh (Updates market action, adds quote)
By Richard Leong
NEW YORK, July 18 (Reuters) - The dollar fell broadly on Thursday as an influential Federal Reserve official bolstered bets on a preemptive interest rate cut later this month because rates and inflation are low even as the U.S. economy has been expanding.
Fed policymakers cannot afford to keep their "powder dry" and wait for potential economic problems to materialize, New York Federal Reserve President John Williams said at a central banking conference.
His comments jolted a somnolent foreign exchange market, where the greenback had held steady against most major currencies.
Williams "is sounding very dovish," said Paresh Upadhyaya, director of currency strategy at Amundi Pioneer Investments in Boston. "The dollar has been taking cues from the interest rates market."
U.S. rates futures implied traders fully expect the Fed to lower rates in two weeks. They now see a 71% chance of a 50 basis point rate cut, more than double the level implied late on Wednesday, CME Group's FedWatch tool showed.
Williams' rate-cut view was echoed by Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida, who told Fox Business Network the central bank might have to act early and not wait "until things get so bad."
In late U.S. trading, an index that tracks the dollar against a basket of currencies was down 0.52% at 96.713. It broke below its 200-day moving average of 96.806, a technical signal that portends further weakness for the dollar.
The dollar did not budge after U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Bloomberg earlier on Thursday there has been "no change to the dollar policy." He later told Reuters that there was no change to the use of a $94.6 billion federal fund intended to stabilize currencies during times of market turmoil.
There has been speculation whether the White House would intervene to weaken the dollar after U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Europe and China earlier this month for what he called their "big currency manipulation game."
The dollar fell to a three-week low at 107.210 yen.
The euro was up 0.44% at $1.1275.
The single currency dipped earlier Thursday following a Bloomberg report that ECB staff members are studying a potential change to the bank's inflation goal of "near 2%."
Such a move would potentially leave the door open for more ECB stimulus to continue for a longer period, which would exert downward pressure on the single currency.
Among other big gainers against the dollar, the pound was up 0.98% at $1.2552 after hitting a 27-month low of $1.2382 the previous day.
The Aussie dollar rose 0.88%, while the New Zealand dollar gained 0.70%. ========================================================
Currency bid prices at 4:07PM (2007 GMT)
Description RIC Last U.S. Close Pct Change YTD Pct High Bid Low Bid
Previous Change
Session
Euro/Dollar EUR= $1.1273 $1.1223 +0.45% -1.71% +1.1280 +1.1206
Dollar/Yen JPY= 107.2700 107.9400 -0.62% -2.71% +108.0100 +107.2200
Euro/Yen EURJPY= 120.95 121.13 -0.15% -4.18% +121.2300 +120.8000
Dollar/Swiss CHF= 0.9816 0.9873 -0.58% +0.02% +0.9891 +0.9810
Sterling/Dollar GBP= 1.2548 1.2431 +0.94% -1.64% +1.2558 +1.2428
Dollar/Canadian CAD= 1.3033 1.3047 -0.11% -4.43% +1.3095 +1.3029
Australian/Doll AUD= 0.7070 0.7009 +0.87% +0.30% +0.7076 +0.7007
ar
Euro/Swiss EURCHF= 1.1067 1.1080 -0.12% -1.66% +1.1089 +1.1061
Euro/Sterling EURGBP= 0.8982 0.9025 -0.48% -0.02% +0.9039 +0.8980
NZ NZD= 0.6779 0.6730 +0.73% +0.92% +0.6786 +0.6730
Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway NOK= 8.5394 8.5889 -0.58% -1.15% +8.6086 +8.5346
Euro/Norway EURNOK= 9.6275 9.6395 -0.12% -2.81% +9.6630 +9.6244
Dollar/Sweden SEK= 9.3022 9.3653 -0.21% +3.78% +9.3752 +9.3020
Euro/Sweden EURSEK= 10.4908 10.5132 -0.21% +2.21% +10.5275 +10.4909