NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The dollar rose Wednesday, trading at fresh one-year highs against the euro, as fears about Europe's debt crisis sent investors away from riskier assets.
What prices are doing: The dollar gained 1.3% versus the euro to $1.2822 after climbing to its highest level since March 2009 in earlier trading. It was up 0.25% on the pound to $1.5106. Against the yen, the dollar fell 0.8% to ¥93.78.
What's moving the market: The dollar remained strong, as persistent debt fears weighed on global stock markets.
European stock markets were down across the board Wednesday, while U.S. stocks closed sharply lower, after plunging the day before. Other risky asset classes, such as oil, were also down as investors sought refuge in quality.
The widespread sell-off follows an announcement on Sunday that European officials agreed to provide Greece with a $146 billion bailout package in exchange for strict new austerity measures. Civil unrest ensued, as Greek union workers protested against the plan.
Contagion fears were heightened last week after the sovereign debt of Portugal and Spain were downgraded and both countries were given a negative outlook.
What analysts are saying: European currencies are still under pressure, but the "panic of the last 72 hours looks to be subsiding," said Brian Dolan, chief currency strategist for Forex.com.
Dolan says that Thursday's scheduled European Central Bank meeting is fueling some optimism that its rhetoric would shore up confidence in Europe.
"At minimum, the ECB is looking to stabilize the euro with verbal intervention. If they do that, it will buy the euro a short respite," he said.
Europe's burgeoning liquidity problems are reminiscent of 2007, when Bear Stearns' liquidity crisis shook the markets and preceded a global meltdown, says Dolan. Therefore, the uncertainty around Greece and other troubled European economies will weigh on the euro until a longer-term solution is found.
He says that the ECB could provide unlimited lending to banks or step in to buy debt directly from the troubled European nations, but conceded that these are only short term fixes that are "euro negative."
An ECB announcement would induce a "short-term rebound in the euro, but the picture is still dark," said Dolan. "It's going to be bumpy summer."
Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
---|---|---|---|
30 yr fixed | 3.80% | 3.88% | |
15 yr fixed | 3.20% | 3.23% | |
5/1 ARM | 3.84% | 3.88% | |
30 yr refi | 3.82% | 3.93% | |
15 yr refi | 3.20% | 3.23% |
Today's featured 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% |
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% |
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 |
Honda and General Motors are creating a new generation of fully autonomous vehicles. More |
In 1998, Ntsiki Biyela won a scholarship to study wine making. Now she's about to launch her own brand. More |
Whether you hedge inflation or look for a return that outpaces inflation, here's how to prepare. More |