The euro closed higher against the dollar Friday, but finished lower on the week, after the Eurogroup announced it had agreed to a four-month extension of Greece’s bailout.
The shared currency EURUSD, +0.11% traded at $1.1377, down from its session high of $1.1430. It had traded at $1.1369 Thursday.
The ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY, -0.09% a measure of the dollar’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six currencies, finished lower for the fourth week in a row. The index was down 0.05% to 94.3490.
The dollar USDJPY, +0.04% finished the session at 119 yen, unchanged from Thursday’s close, because of the market’s focus on Greece Friday, rather than the U.S. economy.
The pound GBPUSD, -0.11% traded at $1.5399, compared with $1.5417 Thursday.
Meanwhile, March natural gas NGH15, +3.71% jumped 11.7 cents, or 4.1%, to settle at $2.951 per million British thermal units, with the contract 5.2% higher on the week. This week, the U.S. has seen freezing temperatures, which look set to continue.
Back on Nymex, gasoline for March RBH5, +1.57% nudged up by 2.5 cents, or 1.5%, to $1.641 a gallon. At the retail level, prices for the fuel marked its 25th daily increase in a row, according to AAA.
Crude-oil futures on Friday suffered from their first weekly loss in a month as U.S. supplies continue to mount, but natural-gas prices rallied as much of the U.S. experienced below-normal temperatures.
Oil for March delivery CLH5, -2.44% gave up 82 cents, or 1.6%, to settle at $50.34 barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That was the lowest settlement price since Feb. 11.
The March contract expired at the Nymex close on Friday, and the new front-month contract CLJ5, -2.08% — April crude — was down $1.02, or 2%, to settle at $50.84 a barrel.
Brent oil for April LCOJ5, -0.18% settled nearly unchanged Friday at $60.22 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange. For the week, it was 2% lower.
