Forexpros – The U.S. dollar was broadly lower against its major counterparts on Tuesday, after Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi won a vote on fiscal reforms but failed to secure a majority in parliament.

During U.S. morning trade, the dollar was slightly lower against the euro, with EUR/USD edging up 0.08% to hit 1.3787.

Berlusconi obtained only 308 votes, less than the 316 needed for an absolute majority in the lower house, prompting immediate calls for his resignation by the opposition.

Meanwhile, in Greece outgoing Prime Minister George Papandreou was expected to name former European Central Bank Vice President Lucas Papademos as prime minister of an interim government.

The greenback also edged lower against the pound, with GBP/USD easing up 0.12% to hit 1.6074.

A report earlier showed that manufacturing output in the U.K. rose slightly more-than-expected in September, but industrial output was unexpectedly flat.

Elsewhere, the greenback was down against the yen and the Swiss franc, with USD/JPY shedding 0.35% to hit 77.76, and USD/CHF dropping 0.54% to hit 0.8955.

Earlier in the day, Swiss National Bank Vice-President Thomas Jordan said the franc will weaken and monetary policy will normalize once the European debt crisis subsides and eases safe-haven flows into the Swiss currency.

Meanwhile, the greenback was higher against its Canadian, Australian and New Zealand counterparts, with USD/CAD easing up 0.07% to hit 1.0130, AUD/USD shedding 0.30% to hit 1.0345 and NZD/USD slipping 0.18% to hit 0.7954.

In Canada, industry data showed that housing starts fell less-than-expected in October, declining to 208K from 209K the previous month and better than expectations for a drop to 200K.

The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.23% to hit 76.95.

Also Tuesday, finance ministers from the European Union member states were to meet in Brussels to discuss the region’s ongoing financial crisis.

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