Yuan touches six-month low while sterling steadies

London

CHINA'S yuan hit its weakest level in six months against the dollar in offshore markets on Thursday, hurt by signs from policy sources that Beijing may be willing to see it fall to 6.80 per dollar.

Government economists and advisers involved in regular policy discussions told Reuters the People's Bank of China was willing to let the currency depreciate by as much as last year's record decline of around 5 per cent.

That knocked offshore rates for the yuan to as high as 6.70 as London traders came…