Dollar rallies as US retail sales rise
NEW YORK -- The dollar rallied against most major currencies Monday after U.S. retail sales rose last month.
The Commerce Department said Monday that retail sales rose 1.1 percent in September to $412.9 billion.
It's the latest sign that Americans are getting more confident about the economy. Last month, the unemployment rate fell below 8 percent for the first time in nearly four years. Recent data has shown that the housing market is slowly recovering.
The euro fell to $1.2941 late Monday from $1.2958 late Friday. The British pound fell to $1.6071 from $1.6073.
Traders are looking ahead to a summit of European Union leaders in Brussels later this week. European leaders will be discussing developments of the region's financial crisis.
The dollar rose to 78.70 Japanese yen from 78.38 Japanese yen and to 0.9340 Swiss franc from 0.9329 Swiss franc.
The dollar fell to 97.86 Canadian cents from 97.97 Canadian cents.