By Ben Eisen, MarketWatch , Hiroyuki Kachi
NEW YORK (MarketWatch)--The U.S. dollar extended gains against
rival currencies on Thursday, pushing a widely-watched gauge of the
greenback's strength near a four-year high.
The gains come in the wake of a statement from the Federal
Reserve that suggested growing confidence in the economic recovery,
even as central bankers promised to keep benchmark interest rates
near zero for a considerable period. The dollar held most of its
gains after a round of mixed economic data.
The ICE Dollar index (DXY), a measure of the dollar against a
basket of major currencies, edged up to 86.142 on Thursday, from
85.979 late Wednesday. The index closed in on its highest level
since 2010. The dollar index hit 86.64 on Oct. 3.
Here is the economic data that investors watched Thursday:
The WSJ Dollar Index , another gauge of the dollar's strength,
slipped slightly to 77.92.
The dollar (USDJPY) was at Yen109.22 from Yen108.90 late
Wednesday, while the euro (EURUSD) slipped to $1.2611 from $1.2631.
The British pound (GBPUSD) slipped to $1.6002 from $1.6021.
The dollar is "trending upward," said Mizuho Securities chief FX
strategist Kengo Suzuki. The FOMC statement reminded the market of
the divergence of U.S. and Japanese monetary policies over the mid
to longer term, he said.
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