After transactions were carried out of up to RD$60 to US$1 on the black market last Friday, the market has performed a turnaround. Operations opened on Tuesday at RD$48 to US$1 in commercial banks with expectations for the peso to continue its ascent. The president of the Association of Exchange Houses, Augusto Peignand, feels that by the end of this week the peso could appreciate to the level of RD$40 to US$1 and that droves of suppliers are now selling their US currency. Peignand attributed the reversal to the announcement of the International Monetary Fund’s US$66-million disbursement to the Dominican Republic, with the funds expected this week. He said that the Central Bank’s efforts to decrease money in circulation by pushing up interest rates paid to financial certificates seem to have been effective.