Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Dollar Slumped on Housing Warnings

The dollar fell sharply across the board as news about the subprime sector raised worries over the nation’s housing market and the whole economy. US stock market and bond yields were also hit by the housing warnings.

Two large home appliance retailers, Home Depot and Sears, both lowered their sales and earnings forecasts due to weak housing market. The nation’s second largest homebuilder, DR Horton, reported its third quarter orders dropped 40%.

The euro rose 1 cent to an all-time high at 1.3739 versus the dollar. The British pound also strengthened sharply against the dollar, to as high as 2.0273. The yen rebounded against the ailing dollar, down from above 123 to test the 122 level. Should the yen break the key support at 121.80, the correction may extend further to 120.

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