Investing.com - The dollar held onto gains against the other major currencies in quiet trade on Wednesday, as comments by Federal Reserve officials regarding a possible rate hike in April continued to lend support to the greenback.
USD/JPY rose 0.31% to 112.73.
The greenback found support after Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker said late Tuesday that the U.S. central bank should raise interest rates as early as next month if the U.S. economy continues to improve.
Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said he expects two more rate hikes before the years end, if the economy remains on track.
The comments came a day after Atlanta Federal Reserve President Dennis Lockhart signaled that the Fed could hike interest rates in April.
EUR/USD fell 0.27% to trade at 1.1188.
Market sentiment remained under pressure after three explosions in Brussels killed 34 people and injured hundreds on Tuesday.
Global terrorist organization ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks that took place in the city's airport and a metro station.
The dollar was higher against the pound and the Swiss franc, with GBP/USD down 0.18% at 1.4183 and with USD/CHF adding 0.17% to 0.9742.
The pound continued to fall as the attacks in Brussels were seen as increasing the chances of a British exit from the European Union in a June 23 referendum.
Later Wednesday, the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee, which is charged with safeguarding financial stability, was to hold its final meeting before the referendum.
Meanwhile, the Australian and New Zealand dollars were weaker, with AUD/USD declining 0.43% to 0.7587 and with NZD/USD retreating 0.56% to 0.6712.
USD/CAD added 0.18% to 1.3072.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was up 0.27% at 95.94.