Id like to say something good, but despite the common European efforts the euro is dropped to a 14-month low against the dollar Wednesday as fears over the spreading euro-zone debt crisis again hammered markets, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors are deeply concerned that the EUR110 billion aid package to Greece will neither ensure solvency in Greece nor contain the spread of the crisis to other fiscally troubled euro-zone countries.

Concern is mounting that Portugal, Spain and other weaker economies in the euro zone could run into similar problems and require significant aid. As in Tuesday’s sessions, the negative sentiment cut across all asset classes, with investors fleeing to the perceived safety of the dollar, yen and the government debt of the US and Germany in choppy trade.

A warning by Moody’s Investors Service that it could cut Portugal’s Aa2 sovereign rating by up to two notches fueled the sense of crisis, sending the euro to $1.2803, its lowest level since March 2009. So far this year, the euro has lost roughly 10.45% against the dollar since exiting 2009 at $1.4316.

Despite the best efforts of European officials to pacify investor concerns, the combination of contagion fears in CDS market and the alarming pictures of riots across Greece (where there is already a death toll of 3 from today’s protests) EURUSD has dropped sickeningly quickly down to lows of 1.2803 from early highs of 1.3040. Ratings agency Moody’s added to the grim sentiment by saying there was a “very strong” likelihood of following through on Portugal downgrades after the 3-month review, and even the better than expected Eurozone retail sales (-0.1% YoY vs. -0.5% expected, last month revised up to -0.2% from -1.1%) could not keep the pair supported.

In other news, the Norges Bank hiked interest rates 25bps to 2.00%; forecasts had been mixed between those anticipating a hike and those looking for an unchanged decision which made for a lively reaction to the decision, with EURNOK to selling-off rapidly from 7.8675 levels to 7.8080 on the immediate announcement. There has been further downside for EURNOK to lows of 7.7785 as the EUR has weakened in the afternoon, but this move has come in spite of a more dovish statement and press conference from the Norges Bank’s Gjedrem. It was acknowledged that the NOK was “strong” and that debt turmoil in Europe may impact future rate setting in Norway.

In the US session, the ADP employment report (a crucial early indicator for Friday’s non-farm payrolls) came out at a robust +32k in April (+30k expected), and last month’s disappointing -23k print was also revised up markedly to +19k. Meanwhile the ISM non-manufacturing survey came out at a solid 55.4 (56.0 expected).