MW: Dollar added to gains after consumer-price data
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The dollar extended gains slightly versus the euro and other major currencies on Friday after the U.S. government's consumer price index rose 0.1% in December, a slower pace than analysts expected. The dollar index [s$ dxy], which gauges the performance of the greenback against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, rose to 77.259, up from 76.762 in North American trading late Thursday. The report also showed prices rose 2.7% in 2009, while core prices -- excluding food and energy -- rose 1.8%. Still to come is data on industrial production and a survey on consumer confidence. The euro was the big loser before the data amid worries about Greece's fiscal situation and refuted rumors that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was preparing to resign.
