Dollar falls on bailout uncertainty

Greenback sinks as investors await further details on Washington's plan to rescue the financial services industry.

EMAIL  |   PRINT  |   SHARE  |   RSS
 
google my aol my msn my yahoo! netvibes
Paste this link into your favorite RSS desktop reader
See all CNNMoney.com RSS FEEDS (close)
By Ben Rooney, CNNMoney.com staff writer

v2-cnnmoney-chart4.mkw.jpg
Click the chart to check other exchange rates

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The dollar tumbled Monday as investors appeared to have second thoughts about the government's proposed $700 billion bailout plan aimed at stabilizing the nation's financial system.

The 15-nation euro fetched $1.4770 in afternoon trading, up sharply from $1.4492 late Friday. Great Britain's pound jumped to to $1.8572 from $1.8365, and the dollar fell to ¥105.80 Japanese yen from ¥107.22.

Monday's decline marked the steepest one-day drop in the dollar against the euro since the euro-zone currency was formed in 1999.

"Dollar selling intensified across the board as the post-bailout hysteria subsided and questions remain on the details about which banks and credit institutions will be eligible for the purchase of bad debt and the ban on short selling," wrote CMC Markets currency analyst Ashraf Laidi in a note to investors.

The dollar's slide comes as the government plans a massive intervention in the nation's financial markets.

The Treasury Department announced plans late Thursday to use tax dollars to buy soured mortgage-related assets from Wall Street investment firms in an attempt to get the nation's economy back on track.

News of the government's rescue sparked a rally on Wall Street Friday, with the Dow rising 370 points. But stocks slumped Monday as investors awaited further details on the bailout plan and eyed a staggering rise in the price of oil.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson urged Congress last week to approve the rescue plan as soon as this week. But Democratic lawmakers have expressed some misgivings about the proposal in its current form.

Senate Democrats circulated an alternative plan Monday that would require the government to receive an ownership stake in the companies it helps. Democrats have also called for the plan to include caps on executive pay and possibly additional economic stimulus measures.

Meanwhile, oil surged more than $25 a barrel at one point Monday, the sharpest one-day increase on record, to trade above $130 a barrel before pulling back and settling at $120.92.

The late day rally came as the current October futures contract is set to expire and a smattering of global supply disruptions put the oil market on edge.

The dollar's decline also fueled the run-up in oil prices. Crude futures are traded in dollars and a softer greenback makes oil a bargain for overseas investors.

"Oil prices are driving everything," said Tom Benfer, vice president of foreign exchange at Bank of Montreal in New York.

The market is questioning what effect the bailout plan will have, but the price of oil has re-emerged as the main factor in the dollar's weakness, Benfer said.

"When oil shoots up, that depresses the dollar," he said.  To top of page

Track 17 major currencies

Features
They're hiring!These Fortune 100 employers have at least 350 openings each. What are they looking for in a new hire? More
If the Fortune 500 were a country...It would be the world's second-biggest economy. See how big companies' sales stack up against GDP over the past decade. More
Sponsored By:
More Galleries
10 of the most luxurious airline amenity kits When it comes to in-flight pampering, the amenity kits offered by these 10 airlines are the ultimate in luxury More
7 startups that want to improve your mental health From a text therapy platform to apps that push you reminders to breathe, these self-care startups offer help on a daily basis or in times of need. More
5 radical technologies that will change how you get to work From Uber's flying cars to the Hyperloop, these are some of the neatest transportation concepts in the works today. 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.