Trichet on ‘Battlefield’ Edge as Euro Climbs to $1.40

European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet is bucking the global push toward easier monetary policy, fueling the euro’s advance just as finance chiefs convene in Washington amid concern of a “currency war.”

With the Bank of Japan this week boosting its asset- purchase plan and the U.S. Federal Reserve mulling a similar shift, Trichet said yesterday that ECB policy makers are in the “same mood” as a month ago and for now remain committed to phasing out their unlimited lending program.