The dollar rose to a seven-month high against the Japanese yen, a week after the Bank of Japan announced a surprise increase of its economic stimulus program, according to AP. The dollar rose to 80.40 Japanese yen in afternoon trading Wednesday, its highest point since July 11. The dollar was worth 79.71 yen late Tuesday. The Bank of Japan said on Feb. 14 that it would buy more government bonds while keeping short-term interest rates close to zero to boost the country's economy. The yen has been falling against the dollar ever since the announcement. In Europe, a downgrade of Greece's sovereign debt by ratings agency Fitch didn't hurt the euro. It was practically unchanged at $1.3247 from $1.3244.
