Stories related to: US dollar

Oil climbed over $125 a barrel today, just ahead of the US driving season and propelled by investors jumping at a weaker dollar, the AP reports. Light, sweet crude for June rose to $125.98 on the New York Mercantile Exchange today, later dropping to $124.86 in Europe. More »

The dollar hit a six-week high against the euro yesterday, leading relieved policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic to hope that the worst is over, reports the Financial Times . Analysts still reckon that Washington will continue its policy of benign neglect: a soft dollar encourages exports and reduces the trade deficit. But one key reason US and European officials are teaming up to help the dollar: a weak American currency has reinforced spiking oil prices. More »

The dollar rose to a three-week high against the euro today and looked set to post its biggest weekly advance since March. The dollar advanced to $1.55 per euro this morning in London, after falling below the $1.60 barrier on Tuesday. The dollar also gained against the yen, and investors are betting on another strong showing next week, reports Bloomberg. More »

Consumer prices rose an anticipated 0.3% in March, propelled by hikes in the costs of energy, food, and airline tickets; a commodities rush and weak dollar also pushed crude oil to a record high today. Energy costs rose 1.9% in March, the AP reports, and the past year has seen huge increases in the prices of bread (14.7%) and milk (13.3%) More »

Crude oil hit a new record high in trading today—$113.66 a barrel—as weary investors attempted to hedge against a tumbling dollar and oil shipments were disrupted around the world. Though the dollar is the main concern, supply problems, including OPEC's decision not to change its 2008 outlook and the closure of a top Mexican export terminal, didn't help, the AFP reports. More »

The Group of Seven's finance ministers are getting more aggressive about stopping the greenback's decline, the Wall Street Journal reports. In what counts as blunt words for the group, a statement yesterday expressed concern about the plummeting dollar's "possible implications for economic and financial stability." The change in tone since the group's last meeting a year ago is aimed at sending a signal to traders; the ministers stopped short of using G-7 money to buy up dollars to push the currency upward. More »

For the first time since China unpegged its currency from America’s in 2005, a dollar bought less than 7 yuan at closing today in Beijing, the New York Times reports. Western countries protested for years the yuan was undervalued; its meteoric rise means Chinese goods are getting more expensive in the US—raising inflation fears. More »

Cheap Asian imports have helped keep American inflation down for decades—but those days appear to be over, the New York Times warns. Rapidly rising costs of fuel, food and labor in countries like China, Vietnam, and Taiwan are beginning to be passed on to their export markets, just as the American dollar weakens and recession looms. More »

Worried that exchanging your dollars into pounds will leave you with pennies? MSNBC outlines 25 ways to stretch your money in Europe. Find no-cost entertainment, like free days at museums or public concerts. Use a credit card or get cash from an ATM for the best exchange rates and lower fees. Haggle, especially at outdoor markets or street vendors. More »

Stocks in Asia had their best day in a month as investors reacted to the Fed's 75-point rate cut and a top Chinese company announced higher-than-expected earnings. The Nikkei climbed 2.5%, with financial stocks leading gains, reports Bloomberg. Companies with substantial business in America also did well—Canon jumped 6.3%, Nintendo 5%—as the dollar made its biggest gain against the yen in almost a decade, pushing back above ¥100. More »

Stocks seesawed throughout the day, finally ending today's session mixed, with the Dow closing up. The markets struggled to rebound from serious losses sustained after Bear Stearns' fire sale; buyer JPMorgan Chase's stock closed up 11%. The Dow ended up 21.16 at 11,972.25, the Nasdaq down 35.48 at 2,177.01, and the S&P 500 down 11.54 at 1,276.70. More »

The dollar took a pummeling and equity markets in Europe and Asia slumped as worried investors reacted to the Bear Stearns fire sale and the Fed's emergency rate cut. The dollar dropped to a shocking 95 yen, hit an all-time low of $1.59 against the euro, and remained below one Swiss franc. The US currency is "facing a credibility crisis," one Asian investor told Bloomberg, while another said that "the Fed is throwing the dollar out of the window." More »

The dollar made a recovery today after yesterday's disastrous fall, pulling back above 100 yen and gaining against the euro and the pound. The greenback's advance comes as securities firms speculated that the Fed and other central banks will collaborate to safeguard the dollar for the first time in 13 years. "The market is certainly on intervention watch," a currency trader told Bloomberg. More »

Gold hit $1,000 per ounce for the first time today, the BBC reports, as investors flock to commodities. The precious metal is already up 20% on the year. “Every bit of bad US economic data boosts gold in two ways,” said Fortis Bank, both because gold is a “safe haven” asset and because the dollar drops on expectations of US interest-rate cuts. More »

Honest Abe may've been a bit pasty and gaunt, but the public can now see him in a more vivid hue: The redesigned $5 bill, complete with splashes of purple designed to thwart pesky counterfeiters, is being released today. Lincoln keeps his place on the front, and his memorial on the back—and the first new fiver will be spent at Lincoln's Cottage in Washington, DC. More »

The dollar's decline continued today, dropping below the symbolically dramatic threshhold of 100 yen for the first time in 12 years. The greenback held on just above ¥100 during the trading day in Tokyo before slumping to ¥99.80 in Europe this morning. The dollar took a pummeling across the board, trading at record lows against not only the yen but also the euro and the Swiss franc. More »

A weak US dollar continued to fuel surging commodity prices today, keeping oil near $108 a barrel and moving a gallon of gas to $3.225, with analysts predicting near $4 prices by spring, the Wall Street Journal reports. Stress on the greenback is coming from not only major but minor currencies, as developing nations fight inflation by relaxing currency controls. More »

The dollar’s skid accelerated today, taking it to a three-year low against the Japanese yen, and pushing the free-falling greenback to a record bottom against the Swiss franc and other currencies amid worries that subprime woes will worsen, Reuters reports. Worldwide, stocks dove lower on broad concerns about the US economy. More »

The dollar’s decline is a boon for California winemakers, who’ve turned the greenback’s challenges into opportunities, expanding exports of everything from top vintages to bulk table wines, reports the Los Angeles Times . California wine exports, 95% of the wine the US sends overseas, jumped 9% to nearly $1 billion in 2007. "American wines are a bargain,” said one analyst. More »

The dollar continued its fall as unrelentingly dismal economic data eroded confidence in the US economy, Bloomberg reports. The greenback set a new low of $1.52 against the euro this morning and hit a three-year bottom against the Japanese yen. Oil surged more than $2 a barrel to $103.05 in Asian trading before closing at $102.92.  More »