U.S. Market December 21, 2000,

In other comments, the European Central Bank on Thursday said its key economic gauges still pointed to inflation risks, which suggests interest rates remain on hold for now.

The British pound fell to a five-month low against the euro as investors anticipated a slowdown in the U.S. economy and steered away from dollar- denominated equities, buoying currencies like the euro. U.K. GDP rose 0.7 percent in the third quarter and 3.0 percent from a year ago, revised up from a 2.9 percent pace estimated last month

The Swiss National Bank's current target range of 3.0-4.0 percent for three-month Swiss franc money market rates gives it enough leeway to react to any eventuality, SNB Chairman Hans Meyer said on Thursday.

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