Merkel rejects U.S. comments, says Germany cannot influence euro

Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday rejected a U.S. trade adviser's charge that Germany was using an "undervalued" euro to gain advantage, saying her government had always called on the European Central Bank to pursue an independent policy. "Germany is a country that has always called for the European Central Bank to pursue an independent policy, just as the Bundesbank did that before the euro existed," Merkel told a news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.