Currencies: Surprise, Surprise -- Euro Trashed Again

What's taking a lickin' but keeping on tickin'?

Our weather-beaten euro friend, that's what. It took a lickin' for the second consecutive day this morning, and it's tickin' -- further downward. After the well-expected decision by the European Central Bank to leave rates at 4.5% shifted the euro down slightly, a series of weaker-than-expected economic data out of key eurozone countries pushed the currency into a full-fledged tumble.

The euro fell to near six-month lows against the dollar, hitting $0.8579 most recently, down from $0.8648 at last close. The euro fell harder against the yen, slipping over 2%, to 103.64 yen per euro, a far cry from yesterday's close of 106.22 yen per euro. ...