Yeltsin Ailment Boosts Dollar

The dollar rose against most major currencies Thursday, benefiting from the mark’s fall following news of weak German employment and heart surgery plans for Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

“People could not sell enough marks, so they ended up buying dollars,” said Jeffrey Yu, a senior currency dealer at Sanwa Bank. “It’s really not a dollar move.”

The British pound hit a 38-month trading day high against the dollar before falling back.

Exchange Currency in Dollars Dollar in foreign currency Canada .7285 1.3727 France .1968 5.0818 Germany .6732 1.4854 Great Britain 1.5660 .6386 Italy .000661 1513.00 Japan .009163 109.13 Mexico .131458 7.6070