LONDON, 15 December 2005 — The dollar remained weak yesterday a day after a suggestion by the US Federal Reserve that US interest rates could be close to peaking, with new US trade data further undermining its strength.
The euro rose to 1.2043 dollars in late European trading, from 1.1940 dollars late on Tuesday in New York. The dollar slipped to 116.77 yen from 119.90 yen on Tuesday.
The euro was changing hands at 1.2043 dollars against 1.1940 late on Tuesday in New York, 140.61 yen (143.19), 0.6787 pounds (0.6745) and 1.5396 Swiss francs (1.5442). The dollar stood at 116.77 yen (119.90) and 1.2786 Swiss francs (1.2930).
On the London Bullion Market, the price of an ounce of gold stood at $509.50 compared with $522.50 late on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, European stock exchanges closed mixed yesterday, with the London FTSE 100 index gaining 0.25 percent at 5,521.1. In Frankfurt the DAX dropped 0.44 percent to 5,286.76, while in Paris the CAC 40 lost 0.40 percent at 4,674.85.
In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 31.70 points (0.29 percent) to 10,855.42 while the NASDAQ composite fell 10.30 points (0.45 percent) to 2,254.70 at 1610 GMT. The broad-market Standard and Poor’s 500 index drifted up a fractional 0.84 point (0.07 percent) to 1,268.27.
