US focus: Euro rises on bets ECB will raise rates

The euro advanced against the dollar and yen on speculation the European Central Bank will raise interest rates further even as nations such as Greece struggle to contain sovereign-debt turmoil.
“The prospect of an ECB rate hike is in the forefront of people’s minds,” said John McCarthy, director of currency trading at ING Groep NV. “For the time being, the euro is receiving a boost from the prospect of higher rates.”
The ECB governing council member Nout Wellink said in Toronto the central bank’s April 7 interest-rate increase sent to investors an “extremely important” signal aimed at preventing expectations of higher inflation.
Germany’s purchasing managers’ index for manufacturing unexpectedly climbed to 61.7 this month from 60.9 in March, according to Markit Economics. The median forecast of economists was for a decrease to 60.

Europe’s shared currency has dropped 1.6% over the past week. Citigroup Inc. said it has established a bet the euro will decline against the dollar.
The Canadian dollar rallied against the greenback as a government report showed the annual inflation rate accelerated to a two-year high, exceeding all economists’ forecasts.
The consumer price index advanced 3.3% in March from a year earlier, compared with 2.2% pace of increase in the previous month, Statistics Canada reported. The median forecast of economists was for a 2.8% annual rate.
The Bank of Canada will hold the target rate for overnight loans between commercial banks at 1% during the second quarter and boost it to 1.5% during the third quarter, according to a survey.