Early trade in New York: Yen soars versus dollar, euro

The yen hit a five-month high against the euro and an almost two-month high against the dollar on Thursday, after concerns about Portugal's largest listed bank and weak Italian economic data hit European shares. Concerns about the health of a parent company of Banco Espirito Santo bank hurt peripheral euro zone bonds, curbing demand at Greece's second debt sale following its 2012 default. It was the first significant episode of contagion for peripheral markets this year.
The Japanese currency rose 0.34 percent to 101.25 yen against the dollar, after earlier rising to 101.04, the highest since May 21. The dollar gained 0.30 percent against the euro to $1.3602. The greenback also rose 0.20 percent against a broad basket of currencies to 80.151, according to the dollar index.