American focus: euro fell

The euro fell from a two-month high against the dollar as European finance ministers withheld an aid package necessary to prevent the Greek economy from collapsing. The shared European currency slid from the highest since December against the yen after the leader of one of the Greek government’s supporting parties said he couldn’t back an austerity accord needed to secure the bailout. Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said his euro- area counterparts refused to approve a 130 billion-euro ($171 billion) aid package because the government fell short of austerity demands. George Karatzaferis, the leader of Greece’s Laos party, said he couldn’t support an accord on cuts in its present form.

The Swiss franc rose in a while in January, consumer price inflation registered a fourth consecutive decline, which became at the same time the highest since October 2009, as the high rate of the franc caused the fall in the value of goods imported into the country. The cost of imported consumer goods to Switzerland fell by 1.8% m / m and 3.2% y / y. Meanwhile, prices for products made ​​in Switzerland rose by 0.1% in month and year on year. Record growth of the national currency has forced the SNB set last September, the binding rate for the euro / franc at around 1.20, and recently acting Central Bank Jordan reaffirmed the willingness of monetary authorities to defend it at any price level, as well as "additional measures, if required by the economic outlook and the threat of deflation."