Forex Pros – The U.S. dollar was broadly higher against its major counterparts on Wednesday, as ongoing concerns over Greece’s sovereign debt dented investor demand for riskier assets.
During European morning trade, the greenback was up against the euro, with EUR/USD shedding 0.51% to hit 1.4366.
On Tuesday, ratings agency Moody’s placed three of Frances largest lenders under review, pending possible downgrades due to their exposure to Greek debt.
The greenback was also up against the pound, with GBP/USD shedding 0.29% to hit 1.6323.
Earlier in the day, official data showed that the number of people in the U.K. claiming unemployment benefits increased sharply in May. A separate report showed that average earnings fell more-than-expected.
The greenback was higher against the yen and the Swiss franc with USD/JPY climbing 0.23% to hit 80.67 and USD/CHF gaining 0.45% to hit 0.8490.
Earlier Wednesday, official data showed that Swiss producer price inflation declined unexpectedly in May.
Elsewhere, the greenback was down against its Canadian and Australian counterparts but up against its New Zealand cousin, with USD/CAD dipping 0.05% to hit 0.9672, AUD/USD rising 0.17% to hit 1.0705 and NZD/USD sliding 0.30% to hit 0.8155.
Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens said earlier that policy makers will need to raise interest rates at some stage.
Separately, official data showed that retail sales in New Zealand rose in the first quarter, increasing for the first time in three quarters.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was up 0.43%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish official data on consumer price inflation, as well as reports on foreign investment, industrial production and manufacturing activity.
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