Investing.com - The Australian dollar edged higher against its U.S. counterpart on Tuesday, while the New Zealand dollar lost some ground as markets were jittery amid a fresh decline in oil prices and ahead of U.S. economic reports due later in the day.
AUD/USD edged up 0.15% to 0.7238, near Monday’s one-and-a-half month high of 0.7250.
The commodity-related currency remained supported after oil prices rallied above $33 a barel on Monday, as supply glut concerns began to ease.
However, crude oil futures began to decline one more on Tuesday as concerns over rising Iranian production following the end of international sanctions resurfaced.
NZD/USD eased 0.09% to trade at 0.6694.
Investors were eyeing the release of consumer confidence and home sales data due later in the day, for further indications on the strength of the economy after strong U.S. inflation data on Friday added to expectations for additional rate hikes by the Federal Reserve this year.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was down 0.09% at 97.29, off the previous session’s two-and-a-half week high of 97.61.