The dollar rallied on Friday, helped by unexpectedly strong US retail sales data and a slide in the yen to seven-year lows against the dollar on bets Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will call early elections and delay a sales tax increase. The euro also fell against the dollar and briefly dipped below $1.24, at $1.2399, despite better-than-expected euro zone economic growth numbers. The currency, which traded near $1.40 in May, is now close to two-year lows and was last off 0.55 percent at $1.2406.
The dollar index added to gains after a US retail sales report bolstered views of a strengthening US economy. The index was last ahead 0.60 percent after touching 88.267, a high last seen in June 2010, according to Reuters data. Japan's yen was already down in overseas trading and touched a fresh seven-year low of 116.82 yen to the dollar immediately after the release of the US data. It was last at 116.62, or off 0.75 percent for the session.
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