FRANKFURT: The euro fell on Wednesday against the dollar amid strong economic reports from Washington and mixed news from Europe.

In afternoon trading, the euro fell to US$1.1968 from US$1.1986 the night before in New York.

The dollar bought 118.23 Japanese yen, up from 117.84 in New York, as traders awaited the end of the Bank of Japan’s policy meeting later this week.

The British pound fell to US$1.7431 from 1.7468 in New York the night before.

The dollar has been helped by news of lower unemployment in the United States, which analysts have speculated could prompt the Federal Reserve to continue raising rates when its policymaking open market committee meets in March.

Germany reported on Wednesday that exports rose in December for the first time in three months, lifting overall annual foreign sales to a new record. But in the previous two days, Germany — Europe’s largest economy _ said industrial output and manufacturing orders both slipped in December.—AP