By Deborah Levine and William L. Watts, MarketWatch
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. dollar advanced on Tuesday, pushing the euro back under $1.30, after a report showed U.S. consumer confidence fell more than many anticipated, pressuring equities lower and reducing investors' appetite for risky assets.
The shared currency had risen above $1.30 in earlier trading, then wavered as data showed a decent gain in U.S. home prices and improved earnings. Investors earlier had breathed a sigh of relief about the results from recent stress tests conducted on major European banks.
The euro (CUR_EURUSD 1.2982, -0.0005, -0.0385%) traded at $1.2984, compared with $1.2999 in late North American trade Monday. It rose as high as $1.3046, the best level since May 10.
A break above the $1.3029 level sets the stage for a test of $1.3115 to $1.3145, strategists at Brown Brothers Harriman said.
The dollar index (DXY 82.22, +0.14, +0.17%) , which tracks the greenback against a basket of major currencies, turned up to 82.246 from 82.017 late Monday.
The dollar extended gains versus the Japanese yen to rise about 1% to (CUR_USDYEN 87.8400, +0.9300, +1.0698%) ¥87.87, compared with ¥86.90 late Monday.
