By Anchalee Worrachate Feb. 15 (Bloomberg) -- The Australian and Canadian dollars strengthened on speculation China’s economic expansion may accelerate, boosting demand for commodities. The Australian dollar, also known as the Aussie, rose against all 16 of its most-traded peers after Goldman Sachs Group Inc. maintained its forecast for Chinese growth at 11.4 percent even as officials cool lending to restrain price growth and avert bubbles. The euro traded near a nine-month low against the dollar as European Union officials prepared to meet to discuss how they plan to shore up Greece’s finances. “The Aussie dollar is well-supported by speculation that the new measures in China will have no long-lasting impact on growth,” said Geoffrey Yu, a currency strategist in London at UBS AG. “The market doesn’t seem to believe that this will result in economic slowdown in China.” The Aussie advanced 0.2 percent to 88.98 U.S. cents as of 10:54 a.m. in London. The Canadian dollar climbed 0.1 percent to C$1.0494. The euro dropped 0.1 percent to $1.3622, within less than a cent of its lowest level since May 2009. To contact the reporters on this story: Anchalee Worrachate in London at aworrachate@bloomberg.net; Yasuhiko Seki in Tokyo at yseki5@bloomberg.net

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