The U.S. greenback surged Friday, capping off the biggest weekly dollar rally in three and a half years, as the euro slumped on speculation the European economy would continue to weaken.

After boosting its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point on July 3, the European Central Bank (ECB) may be forced to reverse course and cut rates sooner than it planned, as slow growth is beginning to trump concerns about inflation.

Icahn’s Yahoo Victory; XM Gains Listeners; Gloomy Economic Outlook; Crude Gains on Tropical/Political Storms; Hasbro Beats Expectations; Corn Cut Down; Goldman Banker Summoned by Paulson; Union Asks Citi to Break Up Operations

The recent buyout of Alpha Natural Resources Inc. (ANR) by Cleveland Cliffs Inc. (CLF) could ignite more than $50 billion worth of M&A deals in the U.S. coal industry over the next few years as Mainland China rushes to solve a major energy shortfall.

First-quarter growth in the 15-nation Eurozone was weaker than first reported, yet another worrying development for a region already struggling with soaring inflation.

Crude oil for July delivery traded at an all-time high of $139.12 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange today (Friday), after the U.S. dollar nosedived on speculation that the European Central Bank would raise its key lending rate and on worries that a bigger-than-expected spike in unemployment meant the U.S. economy was far weaker than feared.