The dollar stayed near 14-month lows on Wednesday after a report showed U.S. retail sales, excluding autos, increased 0.5% in September. Analysts surveyed by MarketWatch expected the figure to rise 0.3%. Including automobiles, sales dropped 1.5%, largely due to the end of the cash-for-clunkers program. Economists predicted a 2.3% drop in the headline level. The dollar index (DXY 75.67, -0.31, -0.41%) , which tracks the greenback against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, fell to 75.652, down from 75.941 in late North American trading Tuesday. The U.S. currency was under pressure before the data as better-than-expected reports from Intel (INTC 21.35, +0.86, +4.20%) and J.P. Morgan [jpm] and good economic data overseas raised investors' confidence and increased the appeal of riskier assets like stocks, further unwinding the need for the dollar as a safe haven. Later in the session, the Federal Reserve will release the minutes of last month's policy-setting meeting.
