LONDON, 6 August 2004 — The dollar was stable against the euro yesterday while awaiting the release of crucial US labor market data for July.
The single European currency edged up to 1.2048 dollars from 1.2046 late on Wednesday in New York. The dollar rose to 111.52 yen from 110.51 on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, the pound stumbled after the Bank of England put paid to lingering speculation of an aggressive rate hike by increasing its benchmark repo rate by just a quarter point to 4.75 percent.
Meanwhile, European stock markets staged a modest rebound yesterday. The British FTSE 100 index rose 0.12 percent to 4,413.3 points, the German DAX 30 gained 0.14 percent to 3,829.03 points and the French CAC 40 rose 0.43 percent to 3,662.98.
The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 index of leading euro zone shares advanced 0.19 percent to 2,689.26 points.
US stocks fell yesterday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 94 points, or 0.93 percent, at 10,032. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 11 points, or 1.00 percent, at 1,088. The technology-laced NASDAQ Composite Index was down 21 points, or 1.12 percent, at 1,834.
Japanese share prices closed 0.46 percent higher yesterday. The Tokyo Stock Exchange’s benchmark Nikkei-225 index gained 50.87 points to 11,060.89. The broader TOPIX index of all First Section shares rose 2.09 points or 0.19 percent to 1,116.85.
