Dollar surges to nearly seven-year high against yen

The U.S. dollar hit its highest level against the yen in nearly seven years on Friday, after the Bank of Japan unexpectedly announced new measures to spur Japanese growth.

The dollar USDJPY, +2.84%  soared 2.7% to ¥112.33 from ¥109.22 late Thursday. It climbed 3.9% this week and 2.7% this month.

The WSJ Dollar Index BUXX, +1.16% a measure of the dollar against a basket of major currencies, was up 1.2% at 78.80. The ICE Dollar Index DXY, +0.87%  rose to 86.907 from 86.142.

The euro EURUSD, -0.73%  fell to $1.2526 from $1.2611 late Thursday. The British pound GBPUSD, -0.04%  was down slightly on the day at $1.5999.