Euro Rises Against Greenback on Interest Rate Differentials

The dollar fell broadly Thursday as traders opted for the safety of the Swiss franc and Japan's yen amid ongoing turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa.

Meanwhile, expectations for widening interest-rate differentials pushed the euro to a three-week high against the dollar.

The dollar sank to a record low against the franc of CHF0.9234 as violence increased in Libya and fears increased that unrest in the Middle East could spread to more oil-producing nations like Iran and Saudi Arabia.

"We continue to focus on the issues in the Middle East," said Aroop Chatterjee, chief foreign exchange quantitative strategist at Barclays Capital in New York. "Even though we've seen a bit of stabilization in oil prices, in the currencies market, [investors] still favor safe havens."

The franc has become the most popular safe-haven option during times of geopolitical risk. It also rallied against the euro Thursday. The yen also was bid higher against the dollar and euro thanks to its perceived safety.

Oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel early in the global day on the New York Mercantile Exchange, leading to the dollar's record weakness against the franc. But even as oil prices have backed off that lofty level, currency investors continued to favor safety.

The situation in the Middle East appears to be far from stabilizing, so the flight to safety is likely to continue, analysts said.





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