Forexpros – The U.S. dollar was up against most of its major counterparts on Monday, as renewed concerns over the debt crisis in the euro zone ahead of a key Italian vote boosted demand for the safe haven greenback.
During European morning trade, the dollar was up against the euro, with EUR/USD shedding 0.46% to hit 1.3728.
Earlier in the day, the yield on Italian 10-year government bonds soared to a euro-lifetime high, amid open dissent within Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s government ahead of a parliamentary vote on public finances on Tuesday.
Italy’s turmoil overshadowed an announcement by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou saying that he would step down to allow the creation of a national unity government intended to secure international financing and avert a potential default.
Earlier Monday, a report showed that the euro zone Sentix investor confidence index dropped more-than-expected for November.
The greenback was also higher against the pound, with GBP/USD edging down 0.15% to hit 1.6009.
Also Monday, industry data showed that U.K. house prices rose more-than-expected last month, but fell slightly over the three months to October.
Meanwhile, the greenback was slightly lower against the yen and sharply higher against the Swiss franc, with USD/JPY easing down 0.19% to hit 78.08, and USD/CHF jumping 1.99% to hit 0.9021.
Swiss National Bank Chairman Phillip Hildebrand said on Sunday that the central bank is ready to take further measures to weaken the Swiss franc if necessary.
Meanwhile, official data showed that Swiss consumer price inflation declined unexpectedly in October, falling 0.1%, disappointing expectations for a 0.2% gain.
Elsewhere, the greenback was almost unchanged against its Canadian counterpart, but higher against its Australian and New Zealand cousins, with USD/CAD inching down 0.04% to hit 1.0183, AUD/USD shedding 0.57% to hit 1.0312 and NZD/USD easing down 0.02% to hit 0.7936.
In Australia, data showed that job advertisements decreased by 0.7% in October, marking the sixth fall in seven months.
The previous month’s figure was revised down from minus 2.1% to minus 2.2%.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was up 0.36% to hit 77.40.
Later in the day, the euro zone was to release official data on retail sales, while Germany was to publish government data on industrial production.
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