Dollar Surges 2% Against Yen

The dollar surged more than 2 percent against the Japanese yen in domestic trading Wednesday, the biggest single advance in 20 months, buoyed by a call from the United States and other leading industrial nations for a stronger U.S. currency.

Finance ministers and central bankers issued a statement Tuesday evening that pledged to continue economic cooperation efforts that would stabilize currency markets. They deplored the dollar’s depreciation vs. the yen and mark this year, a strong sign that more aggressive counteraction might be planned.

In late New York trading, the dollar was quoted at 83.78 yen, up from 81.93 late Tuesday.

Exchange Currency in Dollars Dollar in foreign currency Canada .7339 1.3625 France .2070 4.8320 Germany .7283 1.3730 Great Britain 1.6120 .6203 Italy .000589 1698.00 Japan .011940 83.75 Mexico .173913 5.7500