The euro advanced before Greek lawmakers vote on austerity measures aimed at averting the currency region’s first sovereign default. The 17-nation currency climbed to the strongest in a week versus the dollar even as protests raged and workers took to the streets in a 48-hour general strike in Athens. The greenback was near a three-week high versus the yen after Treasury yields jumped above 3 percent yesterday, enhancing the allure of U.S. assets. The shared currency rose 0.3 percent to $1.4407, as of 9:15 a.m. in London, after weakening as much as 0.2 percent. It’s 0.1 percent lower against the U.S. currency this month and 1.7 percent stronger this quarter. The shared currency was little changed at 116.61 yen, while the dollar was 0.1 percent weaker at 81.06 yen. IntercontinentalExchange Inc.’s Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against the currencies of six major U.S. trading partners, dropped 0.2 percent to 74.936. To contact the reporter on this story: Lucy Meakin in London at lmeakin1@bloomberg.net. To contact the editor responsible for this story: Daniel Tilles at dtilles@bloomberg.net.

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