month high Monday as hopes for a durable solution for the euro-zone debt crisis pushed the currency past key technical levels, while stocks rose on bets of higher growth in the global economy. Prices of copper and other metals rose as the optimism about growth triggered worries about supply constraints, driving up shares of miners and natural resources companies. The euro ran as high as $1.3660 on trading platform EBS, a fresh two-month high against the dollar. It last traded up 0.27 percent at $1.365. The European single currency has gained nearly 6 percent from this year's low on hopes the euro zone is on track to find a durable solution to its debt crisis. Speculation that the European Central Bank might raise interest rates also provided support for the euro. Some analysts feared, however, that the rally was close to an end as political turmoil in Ireland was a reminder of the uncertainties plaguing the most indebted European countries. “The euro's had a sharp rebound recently, but we think it's nearing its top in the bigger picture,” said Ian Stannard, senior currency strategist at BNP Paribas. “It's supported in the near-term by optimism over talks on the European rescue fund, but political problems in Ireland and Portugal show there are still lots of factors out there to hurt the currency,” he added. The US dollar slipped 0.31 percent against a basket of major currencies, according to the US Dollar Index. Against the Japanese yen, it fell 0.16 percent to 82.45. The euro has jumped about 5 percent in the past two weeks.
