Materials Up As Dollar Weakens - Materials Roundup
Shares of miners and other commodities producers rose as the dollar weakened against a basket of currencies.
The prices of industrial and precious metals have received a lift in recent weeks from the decline in the dollar, whose value is a key input for the globally traded but greenback denominated commodities. Since the fourth quarter, the dollar has been giving back some of the gains amassed against other currencies during the last half decade amid signs that other major central banks are following the Federal Reserve's lead when it comes to hiking interest rates.
Minutes from the European Central Bank's December meeting showed that officials considered a move "early in the coming year" to further reduce the stimulus, assuming economic growth remains strong. The news caught some investors by surprise because ECB President Mario Draghi has made no public statements hinting at such plans.
--Rob Curran, rob.curran@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 11, 2018 16:10 ET (21:10 GMT)