LONDON, 16 December 2004 — The euro surged more than 1.25 percent against the beleaguered dollar here yesterday after US Treasury figures showed foreign appetite for US assets declining by more than had been expected.
The single European currency in late-day trade was at 1.3424 dollars after 1.3291 late Tuesday in New York. The dollar was meanwhile trading at 104.06 yen, down from 105.56 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, European stock markets closed yesterday with mixed results, with the London FTSE index rising 0.11 percent to 4,728.20 points. In Frankfurt, the DAX dropped 0.42 percent to finish at 4,213.69, while the Paris CAC 40 ended 0.30 percent lower at 3,802.99.
In New York, US stocks were lower yesterday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 14.77 points, or 0.14 percent, at 10,661.82. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 1.27 points, or 0.11 percent, at 1,202.11. The technology-laced NASDAQ Composite Index was down 2.57 points, or 0.12 percent, at 2,157.27.
Asian stock markets closed higher yesterday. The benchmark Bombay Stock Exchange’s 30-share Sensex gained 76.76 points to close at 6,402.29, beating the previous record close of 6,328.43 set on Dec. 2.
