US dollar longs fall to lowest since mid-December; euro shorts dip

(Adds table, details)

May 1 (Reuters) - Speculators pared back positive bets on

the U.S. dollar, pushing the currency's net long position to

their lowest in 4-1/2 months, according to data from the

Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Thomson Reuters

released on Friday.

The value of the dollar's net long position fell to $34.75

billion in the week ended April 28 from $37.87 billion the

previous week. Net longs on the dollar declined for a fifth

straight week.

It was also the third straight week that longs on the dollar

came in below $40 billion.

The dollar has been hurt by a spate of weaker-than-expected

U.S. economic data such as the softer-than-forecast

first-quarter U.S. growth figures released early this week.

The weak figures reinforced expectations that the pace of

U.S. interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve will be

slower than initially thought, which is negative for the dollar.

The dollar posted the worst monthly performance in four

years in April, losing nearly 4 percent.

To be long a currency is to take a view it will rise, while

being short is a bet that its value will decline.

Net short positions on the euro, meanwhile, fell for a

fourth consecutive week, totaling 197,766 contracts, from

214,645 previously. The rise in German Bund yields on receding

deflationary fears in the euro zone has helped the euro, as did

expectations for a positive resolution of Greece's debt

problems.

The Reuters calculation for the aggregate U.S. dollar

position is derived from net positions of international monetary

speculators in the yen, euro, British pound

, Swiss franc and Canadian and Australian

dollars.

Japanese Yen (Contracts of 12,500,000 yen)

28Apr2015 week Prior week

Long 48,721 51,520

Short 54,214 65,968

Net -5,493 -14,448

EURO (Contracts of 125,000 euros)

28Apr2015 week Prior week

Long 50,734 46,821

Short 248,500 261,466

Net -197,766 -214,645

POUND STERLING (Contracts of 62,500 pounds sterling)

28Apr2015 week Prior week

Long 33,239 34,830

Short 67,367 64,111

Net -34,128 -29,281

SWISS FRANC (Contracts of 125,000 Swiss francs)

28Apr2015 week Prior week

Long 11,144 11,105

Short 9,809 10,770

Net 1,335 335

CANADIAN DOLLAR (Contracts of 100,000 Canadian dollars)

28Apr2015 week Prior week

Long 33,858 33,343

Short 54,767 60,394

Net -20,909 -27,051

AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR (Contracts of 100,000 Aussie dollars)

28Apr2015 week Prior week

Long 53,753 55,570

Short 81,158 90,233

Net -27,405 -34,663

MEXICAN PESO (Contracts of 500,000 pesos)

28Apr2015 week Prior week

Long 38,003 50,343

Short 61,394 64,018

Net -23,391 -13,675

NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR (Contracts of 100,000 New Zealand dollars)

28Apr2015 week Prior week

Long 18,281 18,473

Short 8,101 9,985

Net 10,180 8,488

(Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Diane Craft

and Jonathan Oatis)