Euro Rises as Threat of Greek Exit Judged Overdone; Yuan Drops

The euro maintained a rally from an 11-year low amid speculation the victorious Syriza party in Greek elections will pursue its anti-austerity agenda without forcing an exit from the currency bloc.

The Russian ruble closed at the weakest level on record yesterday in Moscow after Standard & Poor’s cut the nation’s credit rating to junk. The dollar held a gain versus the yen with the Federal Reserve forecast to raise interest rates this year. The Australian dollar was 0.8 percent from its lowest since July 2009 touched yesterday, before the release of a private gauge of business confidence.