The dollar strengthened after a Chinese Foreign Ministry official said he hoped the greenback would remain stable and was "not aware" of a plan to discuss a new reserve currency at next week's Group of Eight meeting.
The dollar climbed from a three-week low versus the euro after falling yesterday when Reuters reported that China had asked to debate proposals for a new global reserve currency at the G-8 summit in Italy. The yen rose from near a two-week low against the euro on speculation a U.S. report today will show the world's biggest economy lost jobs for an 18th month, spurring demand for the safety of Japan's currency.
The dollar climbed to $1.4119 per euro as of 7:40 a.m. in London from $1.4142 in New York yesterday, when it declined to $1.4201, the lowest since June 5. The U.S. currency was at 96.66 yen from 96.65 yen. The yen rose to 136.44 per euro from 136.70 yesterday, when it fell to 136.89, the weakest since June 15.
The Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against the currencies of six major U.S. trading partners including the euro, yen and pound, advanced 0.2 percent to 79.764.
