NEW YORK, May 17- The dollar rallied across the board on Friday, rocketing to a fresh 4-1/ 2- year high against the yen above the 103- yen level as data showing a robust rebound in U.S. consumer sentiment prompted more investors to add to bullish bets.
Jonathan Cavenagh, Currency Strategist at Westpac Bank, Australia (Sydney), says the Japanese and Swiss central banks will not stop intervening because both countries are dependent on export-generated economic growth.
CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera reports on the ECB buying Italian and Spanish bonds in an effort to reassure the markets, and a play on global currencies, with Andy Busch, BMO Capital Markets.
International intervention in foreign exchange markets may only give brief respite to countries that are fighting an "unwinnable war" against currency appreciation, analysts told CNBC.com.
The sovereign debt crises on both sides of the Atlantic has created what some analysts are calling an "ugliness contest" between the U.S. dollar and the euro, and experts remain split on which of the two currencies are a safer bet.
Which currencies look strong from a technical perspective? And which look weak, with CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Money In Motion traders. Also, Fix My Trade: a caller asks about the yen against the dollar.
The Swiss National Bank and the Bank of Japan intervene to devalue their currencies. How you can profit from central bank intervention, with CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Money In Motion traders.
The ECB to the rescue--as it pulls the market back from the brink. What today's ECB news means for the dollar, with CNBC's Melissa Lee and the Money in Motion traders. Also, will Bernanke hint at QE3 at next week's Fed meeting?
Are investors overly pessimistic? Perspective on fear permeating the markets, with James Paulsen, Wells Capital Management; Tim Courtney, Burns Advisory Group, and Mark Olson, Treliant Risk Advisors co-chairman.