Dollar index soars to nearly 9-year high

The U.S. dollar soared Friday, building on big gains scored in 2014, on expectations the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates while the European Central Bank and Bank of Japan continue to loosen monetary policy in the year ahead.

The ICE dollar index DXY, +0.97%  rose to 91.11, up from 90.27 in late North American trade on Wednesday and marking its highest level since March 2006, according to FactSet data. The index rose almost 13% in 2014, to mark its best yearly gain since 2005.

The WSJ Dollar Index BUXX, +0.77% a wider gauge of the dollar, climbed 0.6% to 83.64, its highest level in more than 11 years. Against the Japanese yen, the greenback rose to ¥120.350 from ¥119.79 late Wednesday.

The pound GBPUSD, +0.00% changed hands at $1.5334, down from $1.5578. The Australian dollar AUDUSD, +0.00%  fell to 80.84 U.S. cents, compared with 81.81 cents on Wednesday.