Exchange rates: USD is up, EUR is down

Exchange rates: USD is up, EUR is down

The dollar continues to hold strong as other major currencies struggle to keep up.

On Friday, the United States dollar reached a 13-year high against the yen thanks to marked jobs growth throughout the country. One dollar is now worth 125.74 yen.  280,000 were added in May – the largest gain since December. In addition, the Labor Department reported revised figures for March and April that show 32,000 more jobs were created than originally thought.

The dollar grew by one percent against the euro, the yen, and the Swiss franc.

Meanwhile, despite a rally at the start of the week, the euro closed at new lows thanks to the uncertainty connected with the situation in Greece. Germany in particular hard hit – German Bunds saw their worst losses since 1999.

On Friday, Greece delayed repayment of a bailout loan given by the IMF. Rumors are that snap elections will be held in the upcoming weeks in order to break the impasse.

The euro is down 1.08 percent against the dollar. It is currently listed at $1.1116.

With the dollar continuing to strengthen and job numbers growing steadily, in looks increasingly likely that the Federal Reserve will tighten monetary policy. The only question is when. Traders are currently betting that October will see raising interest rates.

“Clearly jobs are being created at a very robust rate, and there’s a rise in hourly pay. There is some sort of wind gathering there,” said Wilmer Stith of the Wilmington Trust in Baltimore.

Oil prices have stabilized, trading near break-even prices on Friday. Early, Brent had hit it’s lowest price in nearly two months. The volatile prices are partly the result of a strong dollar, partly the result of OPEC’s decision not reduce output.

Brent closed at $61.76 a barrel. US crude oil was down to $57.76 a barrel.

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