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Japan finance minister says currencies should be set by markets
Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Friday that currencies should be set by markets although sudden moves are undesirable, offering no clues on intervening in the market to stem the weak yen, which is driving up import bills. "Currencies should reflect economic fundamentals," Suzuki told reporters after a cabinet meeting. "We're closely watching currency moves." Suzuki toed the official line on currencies, without raising the level of verbal warnings to say things like he is "deeply concerned" about a weak currency. Late last month, the dollar hit 147.375 yen, the highest since Nov. 7. It was last at ... (full story)