By William L. Watts and Michael Kitchen, MarketWatch
FRANKFURT (MarketWatch) — The dollar edged lower Tuesday, with the euro extending a slow rebound on the U.S. currency amid low, post-Christmas volume.
The dollar index DXY -0.17% , which tracks the U.S. unit against six other currencies, slipped to 79.801, down 0.2% from the previous day, according to FactSet Research data.
The euro EURUSD +0.01% edged up to $1.3073 from $1.3059 Monday in Asia. London markets remained closed Tuesday, while other European markets reopened for business, with U.S. financial markets set to do the same.
Key U.S. data on tap for Tuesday include Case-Shiller house price figures for October at 9 a.m. Eastern, followed by the Conference Board’s latest reading on consumer confidence at 10 a.m.
“This week may continue to sputter along with little volatility, but [volatility] is likely to return rather quickly in the New Year if we consider the pipeline of events, including the onslaught of European debt issuance.
“And soon after the New Year, we’ll have a firmer read on U.S. consumer demand in the supposedly recovering U.S. economy and corporate earnings quick to follow,” said John Hardy, head of foreign-exchange strategy at Saxo Bank.
Also Tuesday, the dollar lost ground against the Japanese yen USDJPY -0.15% , easing to ÂĄ77.83 from ÂĄ77.99 Monday.
The British pound GBPUSD +0.20% rose to $1.5657 from $1.5612.
The Australian dollar AUDUSD -0.22% rose to $1.0165 from $1.0159 on Monday. Sydney markets remained on break for the Christmas and Boxing Day holidays. See report on Monday’s foreign-exchange trade.
