Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 2/25/22

American Dollar to Canadian Dollar = 0.731999; American Dollar to Chinese Yuan = 0.141272; American Dollar to Euro = 1.121358; American Dollar to Japanese Yen = 0.009346; American Dollar to Mexican Peso = 0.043810.

Transportation prices fell in February at the fastest rate recorded in the six-and-a-half-year history of a monthly survey of supply chain executives. The Logistics Managers’ Index (LMI) registered a reading of 36.1 for transportation costs in February, 5.9 percentage points lower than in January and below the prior record, which was established in December. A level below 50 indicates contraction while one above signals expansion. The report said the rate declines were “a little more pronounced in the later portions of the month than in the beginning of the month.” “February is generally a low point seasonally due to the consumer spending hangover from the holidays in the U.S. combined with slowness in imports due to Chinese New Year, and that was certainly reflected this year,” the report stated.

Oil prices rose on Friday after the Saudi energy minister said OPEC would need to keep coordinating supply cuts with non-member countries including Russia into 2019. Oil’s rise defied a slump in global stock markets, which fell in response to worries about a trade stand-off between the United States and China. Gold XAU=, seen as a safe haven, hit a two-week high. Brent crude futures LCOc1 were at $69.10 per barrel at 1136 GMT, up 19 cents but off a session high of $70. For the week, Brent was up about 4.4 percent, its strongest showing since October. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $64.57 a barrel, up 27 cents but below a session high of $65.42. On the week, WTI was up about 3.6 percent.