NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The dollar extended gains versus major rivals on Friday after a report showed consumer sentiment improved markedly in early December. The dollar index (DXY 76.41, +0.36, +0.47%) , a measure of the buck against a trade-weighted basket of rival currencies, traded at 76.556, compared to 75.996 on Thursday. The dollar had moved into positive territory before the confidence report after government data showed retail sales jumped more than twice as much as expected last month.
