NEW YORK, MarketWatch (23/10) — The U.S. dollar held small gains versus
most major rivals other than the Japanese yen on Wednesday as worries
about China’s banks spurred a round of haven-related buying, strategists
said. The ICE dollar index, which measures the currency against
a basket of six major rivals, rose to 79.287 from 79.233 in North
American trade late Tuesday. The WSJ Dollar Index, which tracks the U.S.
unit against a slightly wider basket, rose 71.79, a gain of 0.03 point
on the day.The dollar fetched 97.31 Japanese yen versus ¥98.11
late Tuesday. The euro dropped 0.8% versus Japan’s currency to fetch
¥134.09. The shared currency was flat versus the dollar—a day after
rising to its highest level versus the U.S. currency since November
2011. The euro traded at $1.3782, little changed from $1.3784.The
dollar fell sharply on Tuesday after a weaker-than-expected September
nonfarm payrolls report underlined expectations the Federal Reserve will
maintain the pace of its bond-buying program into next year.