US Dollar Rises to 5-Month High

Singapore: The US dollar rose to a five-month high against major peer currencies on Tuesday following hotter-than-expected US retail sales figures, raising worries of an intervention from Tokyo as the yen languished at its lowest since 1990. Data on Monday showed US retail sales rose 0.7% last month. The US dollar index touched 106.39 on Tuesday, the highest since Nov. 2. The yen last hovered around 154.40 per dollar, close to the new resistance level of 155. The onshore yuan fell to 7.2831 per dollar. The euro was at $1.06070, and the Australian dollar dropped to $0.64085, its lowest since Nov. 14, while the kiwi similarly slid to $0.58815. Source: Qatar News Agency