Investing.com – The U.S. dollar was broadly lower against its major rivals on Tuesday, after Japan raised its assessment of its nuclear crisis to the same level as the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, boosting the yen and the Swiss franc.
During U.S. morning trade, the greenback was lower against the euro, with EUR/USD climbing 0.43% to hit 1.4498.
Earlier in the day, the ZEW Center for European Economic Research said its German investor-expectations index recorded a sharper-than-expected decline in April.
But the greenback was higher against the pound, with GBP/USD shedding 0.43% to hit 1.6274.
Earlier Tuesday, a government report said U.K. consumer price inflation rose by 4.0% last month, its lowest annual rate of increase since January and the first fall in the CPI rate since July last year.
Elsewhere, the greenback was down against the yen and the Swiss franc with USD/JPY tumbling 0.85% to hit 83.86 and USD/CHF plummeting 1.15% to hit 0.8960.
Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said earlier Tuesday that based on cumulative levels of radiation released, the severity of the incident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant had been raised to seven, the worst on an internationally recognized scale.
Elsewhere, the greenback was higher against its Canadian and Australian counterparts but lower against its New Zealand cousin, with USD/CAD rallying 0.82% to hit 0.9644, AUD/USD shedding 0.22% to hit 1.0472 and NZD/USD surging 0.76% to hit 0.7857.
Earlier in the day, the Bank of Canada held its interest rate steady at 1%, in line with expectations.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.30%.
Also Tuesday, official data showed that the U.S. trade deficit contracted more-than-expected in February, as imports fell more than exports, while a separate report showed that U.S. consumer confidence fell unexpectedly in April.
During U.S. morning trade, the greenback was lower against the euro, with EUR/USD climbing 0.43% to hit 1.4498.
Earlier in the day, the ZEW Center for European Economic Research said its German investor-expectations index recorded a sharper-than-expected decline in April.
But the greenback was higher against the pound, with GBP/USD shedding 0.43% to hit 1.6274.
Earlier Tuesday, a government report said U.K. consumer price inflation rose by 4.0% last month, its lowest annual rate of increase since January and the first fall in the CPI rate since July last year.
Elsewhere, the greenback was down against the yen and the Swiss franc with USD/JPY tumbling 0.85% to hit 83.86 and USD/CHF plummeting 1.15% to hit 0.8960.
Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said earlier Tuesday that based on cumulative levels of radiation released, the severity of the incident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant had been raised to seven, the worst on an internationally recognized scale.
Elsewhere, the greenback was higher against its Canadian and Australian counterparts but lower against its New Zealand cousin, with USD/CAD rallying 0.82% to hit 0.9644, AUD/USD shedding 0.22% to hit 1.0472 and NZD/USD surging 0.76% to hit 0.7857.
Earlier in the day, the Bank of Canada held its interest rate steady at 1%, in line with expectations.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.30%.
Also Tuesday, official data showed that the U.S. trade deficit contracted more-than-expected in February, as imports fell more than exports, while a separate report showed that U.S. consumer confidence fell unexpectedly in April.