LONDON, 30 March 2005 — The dollar slipped slightly yesterday from recent gains against the euro, but held firm against the yen following the release of weak Japanese economic data.
The euro rose to 1.2920 dollars from 1.2888 late on Monday in New York. The dollar firmed to 107.46 yen from 107.07 on Monday.
Meanwhile, European stock markets were mixed yesterday following heavy falls across Asia, a weak start on Wall Street, and a fresh twist in the London Stock Exchange (LSE) takeover saga.
The London FTSE 100 index fell by a slight 0.07 percent to 4,919 points, the Frankfurt DAX 30 rose 0.19 percent to 4,351.89 points and in Paris the CAC 40 edged up 0.08 percent to 4,081.65. The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 index of leading euro zone shares added 0.26 percent to 3,068.49 points.
In New York, US stocks rebounded yesterday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 5.04 points (0.05 percent) at 10,490.69 at noon, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ had gained 3.30 points (0.17 percent) to 1,995.82.
Asian stocks closed sharply lower yesterday. The Tokyo Stock Exchange’s benchmark Nikkei-225 index lost 192.48 points to 11,599.82. In Seoul, the KOSPI index closed down 18.74 points at 958.96.