Market News

The U.S. Dollar reached a one-year high against a basket of major currencies following the passage of the $700 billion bailout plan which was approved by the U.S. Senate. The Euro slipped slightly ahead of the decision by the European Central Bank on interest rates.

The U.S. Dollar dropped slightly against the Euro today, after seeing some good gains during yesterday’s trading day, as investors’ awaited a decision by the U.S. Senate about the revised financial bailout plan by the U.S. government.

The U.S. Dollar rebounded versus the Euro and Japanese Yen today because investors took a step back from risky positions when it became clear that Wall Street’s largest 1-day sell off in over 10 years was attributed to the refusal by the U.S. Congress to back President Bush’s $700 billion bail out package. The package called for the U.S. Government to buy toxic assets from faltering U.S. banks; the effort is an attempt to revitalize the strained lending markets.

Both the Euro and Pound Sterling fell more than 2% against the U.S. Dollar today as the repercussions of the financial crisis was felt across the Atlantic, prompting the nationalization of some banks in Europe.

The Japanese Yen gained slightly today because of the stalled negotiations regarding the $700 billion bailout package for the United States financial sector. In addition, the demise of Washington Mutual triggered investors to stay aware from risky trades.

The U.S. Dollar dropped today, hurt by investors’ persistent uncertainty about whether or not the U.S. Federal Government’s bail out plan of $700 billion will be effective in mopping up bad bank debt; the drop was furthered along by disappointing U.S. economic data released today.

Lower crude oil prices and weak economic data from the Euro zone helped the U.S. Dollar rebound after the record one-day drop against the Euro.

The U.S. dollar fell by almost 1% against the Japanese Yen as investors are wary about the impact of the $700 billion bailout plan aimed at dealing with the liquidity crisis in a comprehensive manner. The rescue plan is currently awaiting approval by the U.S. Congress. Once approved, it will give the U.S. Treasury the power to acquire all “toxic” mortgage-related debt currently on the books of financial institutions, including subsidiaries of foreign banks in the United States.

In Tokyo today, the U.S. Dollar surged against the Japanese Yen and the Euro following the announcement that the United States government will soon put in place a comprehensive plan to address the liquidity problem of the financial institutions. The Federal Reserve Bank Chairman and the U.S.

In London trading today, the U.S. Dollar dropped to a 4-month low against the Japanese Yen, but gained against high-yielders because investors moved in to safe-haven assets after the collapse of the U.S. investment giant, Lehman Brothers.

Following the announcement that Lehman Brothers, the fifth largest investment bank in the U.S. will be filling for bankruptcy protection, investors quickly moved out of U.S. Dollar-denominated assets into Yen-denominated assets. As a result, the Japanese Yen is poised to gain significantly against the U.S. Dollar.

In early morning trading today, the U.S. Dollar and Japanese Yen lost ground against the Euro, amid investors’ hopes that Lehman Bros., a U.S.-based investment banking giant, will soon be saved. This boosted equities and as a result, currency dealers promptly cashed in on the currencies’ strong gains in recent weeks.

The U.S. Dollar hit a one year high against the Euro and a group of currencies due to U.S. investors repatriating overseas investments amid escalating concerns about global economic growth. According to the July figures, the U.S. trade deficit widened to a level not expected by most economists, and as a result, the U.S. Dollar was under pressure against the Japanese Yen.

The U.S. Dollar gained slightly in choppy trading today despite investors’ concerns about uncertainties regarding the survival of Lehman Brothers and the overall problems of the impact of the US financial sector on the global economy. Lehman Brothers recorded a loss in the third quarter and desperately looking for additional capital to support its operations.

The U.S. Dollar gained against the Euro today as crude oil prices fell, again. However, following a rally which was ignited by the bailout of the two giant mortgage firms, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the broader gains were reduced by mild profit-taking. In early morning trading in New York, the Euro dropped and traded at 0.3% at $1.4086.