By V. Phani Kumar, MarketWatch
HONG KONG (MarketWatch) — The U.S. dollar edged slightly higher against the euro and a few other major currencies Wednesday, but with its movements restricted to a tight range as trading activity thinned toward the end of the year.
The euro EURUSD -0.03% was fetching $1.3070 during Asian trading hours, down a tad from $1.3074 in North America late on Tuesday, while the British pound GBPUSD -0.07% was buying $1.5655, slipping from $1.5663.
The greenback USDJPY -0.12% was changing hands for 77.80 yen, down from ¥77.85.
The U.S. dollar index DXY -0.01% , a measure of the greenback’s performance against six other major currencies, was at 79.806, up from 79.792.
U.S. stock index futures were flat in Asia, after the S&P 500 SPX +0.01% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA -0.02% ended little changed, while the Nasdaq Composite COMP +0.25% clinched mild gains overnight on Wall Street.
Asian markets were broadly negative, with China’s Shanghai Composite CN:000001 -1.31% sliding a further 0.7% after closing Tuesday’s session at a 33-month low. Read Asia Markets.
Varahabhotla Phani Kumar is a reporter in MarketWatch's Hong Kong bureau.
