LONDON, 3 October 2003 — The euro lost ground against the dollar here yesterday in listless trading as dealers awaited the release of key figures on US employment today.
The euro in late-day trade was at 1.1716 dollars against 1.1720 in New York late on Wednesday.
The dollar was trading at 110.64 yen after 110.59 yesterday.
The euro was changing hands at 1.1716 dollars from 1.1720 late on Wednesday in New York, 129.63 yen (129.67), 0.6999 pounds (0.7021) and 1.54 Swiss francs (1.5391).
Meanwhile, European stock markets generally posted tepid gains yesterday. The London FTSE 100 index, led by banks, edged up 0.96 percent to close at 4,209.1, while in Paris the CAC 40 rose just 0.06 percent to 3,192.94. In Frankfurt the DAX fell 1.60 percent to 3,276.64. The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 gained 0.58 percent to finish at 2,441.2.
Elsewhere share prices rose 0.93 percent to 314.47 in Amsterdam and 0.17 percent to 6,762.4 in Madrid. Stocks slipped 0.01 percent to 2,080.85 in Brussels and 0.09 percent to 25,037 in Milan.
The Swiss Market Index of London-quoted issues finished at 5,077.9. a gain of 0.33 percent.
In New York, the technology-laced NASDAQ Composite Index edged up 1.4 points, or 0.07 percent, to 1,833. The broad Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 0.74 point, or 0.07 percent, to 1,019. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 7.4 points, or 0.08 percent, to 9,476.60.
Asian share prices closed mostly higher yesterday, with Hong Kong racing to a 16-month high after sharp overnight gains on Wall Street snapped a losing streak, dealers said.
Hong Kong put on 2.82 percent, closely followed by Tokyo which added 2.24 percent and Jakarta, up 2.23 percent, as the tone turned much more positive.
