- NEW YORK: The US dollar slid to a 15-year low versus the yen on Friday after a weak US jobs report while Wall Street edged up on speculation of more Federal Reserve economic stimulus as policymakers in Washington seek to avoid a currency war.
The weaker greenback spurred spot gold higher but not enough to match Thursday's record $1,364.60 per ounce, while oil prices rose. Global stock gauges also rose.
A brewing currency war has investors caught in a cross-fire while the world's finance ministers and central bankers meet in Washington to try work out a solution among themselves to soothe trade tensions and avoid scuttling a nascent global economic recovery with trade protectionism.
The officials are meeting for this weekend's International Monetary Fund and World Bank meeting.
In midday trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 46.73 points, or 0.43 percent, at 10,995.31. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 4.88 points, or 0.42 percent, at 1,162.94. The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 8.00 points, or 0.34 percent, at 2,391.67.
MSCI's All-Country World index was 0.15 percent higher while the Thomson Reuters global stock index rose 0.99 percent.
Japan's Nikkei stock index fell 0.99 percent.
The US dollar fell 0.57 percent to 81.86 yen, hovering just above the 15-year low of 81.71.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the chairman of euro zone finance ministers, said the euro exchange rate against the dollar was too strong at $1.4000 as the dollar did not reflect US economic fundamentals. That prompted the euro to erase gains against the dollar to trade down 0.08 percent at $1.3915.
Spot gold prices rose $11.50 to $1,344.20, while crude oil gained 90 cents to $82.57 per barrel.