By Deborah Levine
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. dollar remained higher Tuesday after the Commerce Department said consumer spending rose 0.4% in June and personal income declined 1.3%. The dollar index (DXY 77.71, +0.07, +0.09%) , which tracks the U.S. unit against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, rose to 77.645, up from 77.615 in late North American trading Monday, after touching a 2009 low. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected income to fall 1.2% and spending to increase 0.3%. Still to come at 10 a.m. Eastern time is a report on pending home sales for June. The dollar had been higher before the data as investors sold European stocks and U.S. equity futures pointed to a lower opening.
