The euro fell by 1.2% against the dollar to $1.1864, marking its weakest level since March 2006, before recovering slightly to $1.19370. The drop follows ECB president Mario Draghi's comments indicating the bank could soon start quantitative easing.

Greek political turmoil also weighed on the currency. Although the ECB has already cut interest rates to a record low level, and also bought some bonds issued by private companies, a full-scale programme of quantitative easing QE has not yet been launched.

But on Friday, Draghi hinted in a newspaper interview that the bank might soon start a policy of QE by buying government bonds, thus copying its counterparts in the UK and US. The purpose would be to inject cash into the banking system, stimulate the economy and push prices higher.

Speaking in an interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Draghi said: "We are making technical preparations to alter the size, pace and composition of our measures in early 2015." (BBC)