Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 2/16/18

The U.S. jobs report topped estimates last week, increasing confidence in the world’s biggest economy, giving a boost to the outlook for energy demand and driving benchmark crude prices up 3.2 percent on Friday. American oil explorers idled four rigs last week after six consecutive increases in drilling, easing fears over surging shale production. Prices were 0.4 percent lower Monday. “Employment is the key driver of oil demand, as more people at work means more commutes and, in consequence, rising road fuel use,” said Norbert Ruecker, head of commodity research at Julius Baer Ltd. in Zurich. Click Read More below for additional information.

American Dollar to Canadian Dollar = 0.796372 American Dollar to Chinese Yuan = 0.147749 American Dollar to Euro = 1.164496 American Dollar to Japanese Yen = 0.008982 American Dollar to Mexican Peso = 0.057086

The Finnish Transport Workers' Union (AKT) has ended a two-week stevedores' strike. The union made the announcement shortly before 8pm on Wednesday. The AKT board unanimously accepted the deal, union boss Ismo Kokko said. "A new collective agreement has been born," he told Yle. According to Kokko, there will be salary increases of 6.3 percent over the two-year contract period. On top of this, he said there will be a so-called "delayed instalment" amounting to 1,100 euros per worker. Earlier in the evening, the National Conciliator's office said in a tweet that a negotiation result had been reached in the labour dispute. The dockworkers' strike, which has been going on for two weeks, has virtually halted all exports and imports through Finland’s harbours and slowed postal deliveries.