Dollar Falls Sharply

The dollar hit a six-month low against the yen and ended sharply weaker in other dealings Monday on rising anxiety over Japan’s trade surplus and fears that France will delay the euro, which helped the mark.

The possibility that Europe’s single-currency won’t debut as scheduled in January 1999, triggered by comments from the finance minister of France’s new Socialist government, caught traders off guard and reflected a sudden shift of sentiment in the foreign-exchange market over the euro’s outlook.

Exchange Currency in Dollars Dollar in foreign currency Canada .7207 1.3875 France .1734 5.7675 Germany .5858 1.7072 Great Britain 1.6367 .6110 Italy .000593 1687.50 Japan .008855 112.93 Mexico .125408 7.9740