U.S. dollar ticks down

The U.S. dollar fell in late trading on Wednesday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, decreased 0.61 percent to 98.177 at 3 p.m. (1900 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro climbed to 1.1663 dollars from 1.1574 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound advanced to 1.3363 dollars from 1.3295 dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 147.07 Japanese yen, lower than 147.61 Japanese yen of the previous session. The U.S. dollar fell to 0.8063 Swiss francs from 0.8074 Swiss francs, and it dropped to 1.3742 Canadian dollars from 1.3784 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar declined to 9.6068 Swedish kronor from 9.6722 Swedish kronor.

More than a month ahead of the Chinese New Year, restaurants across China have reported a booming demand for reunion dinners, with popular places already fully reserved.

The family reunion dinners on the eve of the Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is the most important meal of the year for Chinese people. It has long been an essential part of celebrating the Chinese New Year. This year, the festival falls on Feb 17.

In Taiyuan, capital city of north China's Shanxi Province, one restaurant said all tables for the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner have been reserved.

"We now have 36 private rooms and 13 tables in the hall. The New Year's Eve dinner is fully booked. Many families started reserving as early as November 2025," said Han Huiyan, a restaurant manager.

To meet the demand, many restaurants start to offer takeaway banquet package that can be easily prepared at home, allowing families to enjoy a variety of festive dishes without dining out.

In Ningbo, a city in east China's Zhejiang Province, many popular restaurants said that they are approaching full reservation levels. To reduce peak demand, some restaurants now offer off-peak reunion dinners starting later at night.

"We now offer a 'second round' of New Year's Eve dinners, which start at 19:30. We also offer discount for such New Year's Eve dinners, a promotion of 20 percent off set menus," said Sun Lijuan, a restaurant manager.

In Lianyungang, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province, smaller private rooms of a local restaurant have been nearly sold out, and customized menus and home-delivery services have drawn strong interest.

"This year we have specially launched the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner delivery service. Bookings are very strong and customers really like this option," said Geng Maoran, a restaurant general manager.