LONDON, 31 July 2003 — The euro dropped below 1.14 dollars in late London trading yesterday as the currency market appeared to catch up with a recent fall in bonds, analysts said. The single European currency was at 1.1368 dollars from 1.1437 late on Tuesday in New York. The dollar stood at 120.52 yen against 119.89 on Tuesday.
The dollar was being quoted at 120.52 yen (119.89) and 1.3636 Swiss francs (1.3517).
Meanwhile, European stock markets closed higher yesterday. The British FTSE 100 index edged up 0.1 percent to 4,141.2 points, the German DAX 30 index was essentially flat, up 0.03 percent to 3,429.03 points and the French CAC 40 index gained 0.96 percent to 3,172.51 points. The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 index of top euro-zone shares was up 0.55 percent at 2,483.91 points.
Elsewhere in Europe, the Swiss SMI index rose 1.02 percent to 5,043.6 points. In Amsterdam, the AEX added 0.58 percent to 311.77 points, Brussels’ Bel-20 rose 0.62 percent to 1,999.7, the Madrid Ibex-35 climbed 0.87 percent to 6,984.3 and the Milan Mib 30 edged up 0.08 percent to 25,238.0.
In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 13.93 points, or 0.15 percent, at 9,190.53. The broader Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 0.7 points, or 0.07 percent, at 988.58, and the technology-laced NASDAQ Composite Index was down 9.84 points, or 0.57 percent, at 1,721.53.
Asian share prices fell yesterday. The Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Nikkei 225 index lost 201.65 points to close at 9,632.66, off a high of 9,821.28. The Topix index of all first-section shares ended down 13.87 points at 944.31. In Hong Kong, the key Hang Seng index shed 77.38 points to close at 10,121.22 after reaching a low of 10,055.51 and a high of 10,206.44.