By Ye Xie and Daniel Kruger Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose against the euro as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke endorsed consideration of a fiscal stimulus package. ``The U.S. is more actively taking measures to deal with the recession than others,'' said Jessica Hoversen, a currency analyst at MF Global Ltd. in Chicago. ``I am bullish on the dollar versus the euro.'' The dollar gained 0.6 percent to $1.3326 per euro at 10:29 a.m. in New York, from $1.3410 on Oct. 17. The dollar traded at 101.68 yen, compared with 101.69. The yen climbed 0.5 percent to 135.54 per euro, from 136.21. Interest-rate futures show a 100 percent chance the Fed will lower its 1.5 percent target lending rate by at least a quarter-percentage point when the central bank announces its next policy decision Oct. 29. That compares with zero chance of a rate cut one month ago. Bernanke's remarks in prepared testimony to the House Budget Committee today may give momentum to legislation being proposed by House Democrats. In January before the same panel, he said a stimulus ``could be helpful'' and urged lawmakers to act ``quickly.'' The impact of that $168 billion measure faded by July, and economists anticipate gross domestic product will contract in the current quarter. The Conference Board's index of U.S. leading economic indicators increased 0.3 percent in September after a 0.9 percent decline in the prior month that was almost twice as large as previously estimated, the New York-based private research group said today. The index points to the direction of the economy over the next three to six months. To contact the reporters on this story: Ye Xie in New York at yxie6@bloomberg.net; Daniel Kruger in New York at dkruger1@bloomberg.net

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