Dollar gains on renewed Greece jitters

By Ben Rooney, staff reporter


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The dollar rose Wednesday as investors shied away from risk amid concerns about the European Union's plan to aid Greece.

What prices are doing: The dollar was up 0.4% versus the euro to $1.3351 and gained 0.1% against the U.K. pound $1.5249. Against the Japanese yen, the dollar fell 0.5% to ¥93.32.

What's moving the market: The dollar strengthened as investors turned cautious amid renewed worries about European debt problems and signs the Federal Reserve is concerned about economic growth.

The euro came under pressure Tuesday after reports surfaced that Greece was uncomfortable with the prospect of accepting financial support from the International Monetary Fund.

Athens denied the reports, but the rumors put investors on edge, with the yield spread between Greek and German bonds widening significantly.

"The euro was unable to sustain the recovery on Wednesday as debt fears remained a key influence," analysts at Sucden Financial wrote in a research report.

Debt concerns weighed on European stock markets, while U.S. stock futures were also lower.

Investors were also digesting minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting, released Tuesday, suggesting the central bank is worried that the economic recovery may lose steam going forward, despite recent moderate improvements.

But Fed policymakers indicated that they could raise rates as soon as they see continued signs of life in the economy, according to the minutes.

"There is still likely to be a mood of cautious optimism surrounding the economy and the dollar should be in a position to gain support on yield grounds," wrote analysts at Sucden Financial.

Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner announced plans to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan on Thursday. The surprise meeting comes after U.S. officials decided last week to delay a report expected to criticize China for manipulating the value of its currency, the yuan.  To top of page

Just the hot list include
Frontline troops push for solar energy
The U.S. Marines are testing renewable energy technologies like solar to reduce costs and casualties associated with fossil fuels. Play
25 Best Places to find rich singles
Looking for Mr. or Ms. Moneybags? Hunt down the perfect mate in these wealthy cities, which are brimming with unattached professionals. More
Fun festivals: Twins to mustard to pirates!
You'll see double in Twinsburg, Ohio, and Ketchup lovers should beware in Middleton, WI. Here's some of the best and strangest town festivals. Play
Overnight Avg Rate Latest Change Last Week
30 yr fixed3.80%3.88%
15 yr fixed3.20%3.23%
5/1 ARM3.84%3.88%
30 yr refi3.82%3.93%
15 yr refi3.20%3.23%
Rate data provided
by Bankrate.com
View rates in your area
 
Find personalized rates:
Index Last Change % Change
Dow 32,627.97 -234.33 -0.71%
Nasdaq 13,215.24 99.07 0.76%
S&P 500 3,913.10 -2.36 -0.06%
Treasuries 1.73 0.00 0.12%
Data as of 6:29am ET
Company Price Change % Change
Ford Motor Co 8.29 0.05 0.61%
Advanced Micro Devic... 54.59 0.70 1.30%
Cisco Systems Inc 47.49 -2.44 -4.89%
General Electric Co 13.00 -0.16 -1.22%
Kraft Heinz Co 27.84 -2.20 -7.32%
Data as of 2:44pm ET

Sections

Bankrupt toy retailer tells bankruptcy court it is looking at possibly reviving the Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us brands. More

Land O'Lakes CEO Beth Ford charts her career path, from her first job to becoming the first openly gay CEO at a Fortune 500 company in an interview with CNN's Boss Files. More

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.