Important signals for the market from opposite sides of the ocean. The ECB left interest rates at 4%, whereas Ben Bernanke, president of the Fed, said he was ready to intervene aggressively to bolster up the economy by cutting US interest rates, which have been stable at 4.25%. Two opposing monetary policies then.

The US dollar (USD) is the official currency of the United States of America and is the most widely used currency in the world. Outside the US, the greenback (nicknamed after the main colour in which the notes are printed) is also the official currency in Ecuador, Palau, Timor East, Panama and the Federal States of Micronesia.