Dollar Continues Its Six-Week Rally

The dollar rallied broadly Friday to a six-week high against the mark and a nearly 2-year high vs. the Swiss franc, strengthening due to European monetary bickering and new signs of economic weakness in Japan.

The advances capped a fairly steady week of gains for the dollar, which has attracted demand beacuse of the increasingly murky outlook for the planned single European currency’s timetable.

But traders cautioned that the dollar’s Friday gains were exaggerated partly due to thin holiday dealings. U.S. financial markets closed early and many participants took off for the entire four-day Thanksgiving weekend.