Dollar rises on Greek uncertainties

The U.S. dollar rose against major currencies in late New York trading on Friday as euro zone finance ministers delayed to sign off a crucial bailout package for Greece. Although Greece claimed it had reached agreements over austerity measure on Thursday, euro zone finance ministers said on Friday that more austerity measures were needed before they release the second bailout package. The uncertainty raised investors'concerns about the Greek debt problem as it is widely expected that the country will default in mid-March without the second bailout from international organizations. The euro was weighed by the fear as the shared currency dropped nearly 1 percent against the dollar on Friday. Meanwhile, data showed that U.S. consumer sentiment worsened in February, raising concerns about the economic prospect. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan overall index of consumer sentiment fell to 72.5 in early February from January's 75.0, which was the highest level since February 2011. The dollar surged on Friday, lifted by weak euro and risk- aversion appetite. The dollar index gained 0.72 percent to 79.13. In late Friday trading, the dollar bought 77.60 Japanese yen, comparing with 77.66 from late Thursday. The euro fell to 1.3170 dollars from 1.3290. The British pound also fell to 1.5740 dollars from 1.5824. The dollar rose from 0.9120 Swiss francs to 0.9175, and also rose to 1. 0022 Canadian dollars from 0.9950.