The dollar rose against the Euro and the Yen , earlier the dollar climbed for a second day against Europe's single currency and broke a four-day losing streak versus the yen on speculation that the Federal Reserve will keep its target of immediate lending rate between banks at 5.25 % in the coming months.

Gains in the dollar accelerated after it broke through $1.27 against the Euro, where traders had orders to buy, traders sometimes place automatic orders to limit losses in case bets go wrong.

The Euro also weakened after a report showed German retail sales unexpectedly dropped in September on concern that the economic growth will also slow next year the dollar may move between 117 and 117.90 yen today. Where as, the dollar rose to $1.2688 per Euro from $1.2725 in late New York yesterday

play the market....

yup japan dieing compared with developing countires

The cost of living is still pretty high though, even if you can live off of the oh so delicious foods found at your local seven-eleven.

One small rice ball cost about S$2 in Japan! Cannot afford especially for big eaters like me

how much is this? S$2? in usd

$2 is USD.

Actually at 7-11 you could buy an onigiri for like $1 USD iirc. And the big PET bottles of drinks were about $1.50 USD. If you try to buy them in the US they're like $3-5 depending on how much they had to pay to import them. :/

Happy Christmas

Many people are scared but actually living cost in Tokyo is not that much.
In my experience, London and NY are more expensive. Similar though

ageed with you
because i stay at Japan before

long live the samuraissss ichi geki hisatssu shurrraaa!!!!

Guess it is too expensive then? I thought they had better prices than we do?

It's still not over you know? I know Japan will find another way to get things back again. This is something that Japan must challenged their own fate in terms of market share.

Japan is great because of their innovative inventions, home of all anime and cute high school girls too!

I'll defeinitely drink to that :D

Happy Christmas for Japanese people here.... I hope Japanese people already see the movie 2012

this is surprising to know

Back when Pete Wilson became governor of California a decade ago, people here used to say that the real estate value of the Imperial Palace grounds in central Tokyo was higher than the economic production of all of California.

Without reforms, American investors ''are going to lose interest in Japan, and Japan is going to see investment diverted, most likely to China,'' Mr. Wilson warned, speaking to the foreign press club here. As aides distributed the report, by the Pacific Council on International Policy, an academic research group, the moats and gardens of the Imperial Palace seemed to shrink into a chill autumn fog 20 floors below.

The Japanese have long known that the economic tables have turned since the golden days of the late 1980's, when their banks, investors and shoppers ruled the West.

But this week brought a series of one-two punches to a country Mr. Wilson called ''a place of micro optimism and macro pessimism.''