LONDON, 6 April 2005 — The dollar traded close to a two-month high point against the euro and rose against the yen yesterday ahead of a speech from US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. The euro fell to 1.2844 dollars from 1.2847 late on Monday in New York. The dollar firmed to 108.51 yen from 108.31 on Monday. The US currency dipped slightly after strong gains overnight.
Meanwhile, European stock markets climbed yesterday, with the London FTSE 100 index closing 0.94 percent higher at 4,942.9. In Frankfurt, the DAX added 0.49 percent to finish at 4,362.61, while the Paris CAC 40 rose 0.88 percent to 4,087.94.
In New York, The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 41.52 points, or 0.40 percent, at 10,462.66. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was up 5.28 points, or 0.45 percent, at 1,181.40. The technology-laced NASDAQ Composite Index was up 5.39 points, or 0.27 percent, at 1,996.46.
In Asia, the Philippine Stock Exchange composite index fell 31.66 points to 1,962.70. The Tokyo Stock Exchange’s benchmark Nikkei-225 index rose 106.77 points to 11,774.31.