Dollar advances against other major currencies (MarketWatch) (22-02-2012)

FRANKFURT — The U.S. dollar rose versus most major rivals on Wednesday, climbing over the 80-yen level versus the Japanese currency and edging higher versus the euro on data showing weaker-than-expected activity in the euro zone and China.

The ICE dollar index rose to 79.233 from 79.023 in North America late Tuesday while the euro reached $1.3241, down slightly from $1.3251.

The British pound tumbled to $1.5676 from $1.5791.

Against the Japanese unit, the U.S. dollar moved to ¥80.22 from ¥79.73, with the pair rising above the 80-level for the first time since August.

The yen has been on a downward slope recently against the greenback, which has risen 5.3% just in February so far, according to FactSet Research data.

Source: MarketWatch