Dollar Near 14-Month High to Euro, Focus on Inflation

Read MoreLONDON–The dollar held close to a 14-month high against the euro on Thursday, as a surge in energy prices raised the risk for the U.S. Federal Reserve to act sooner to normalise policy. The U.S. currency was slightly lower at $1.1563 per euro after strengthening to $1.1529 on Wednesday for the first time since July of last year. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six other major currencies, was little changed at 94.153 following a nearly 0.5 percent climb over the past two sessions. That took it back to near the one-year high of 94.504 reached last week. The Japanese yen, another safe haven, was a touch higher at 111.29 per dollar, near the middle of its range of the past week and a half. Overnight, crude oil rallied to a seven-year high before taking a breather from its recent torrid gains, while natural gas …