Investing.com - The dollar fell on Tuesday as concerns began to brew that the U.S. may be considering limited air and missile strikes against Syria amid reports Damascus has used chemical weapons amid its internal conflict.
The yen served as the currency of choice amid the day's geopolitical uncertainty.
In U.S. trading on Monday, EUR/USD was up 0.13% at 1.3388.
Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons in its internal conflict steered investors away from the dollar as the possibility of U.S. military strikes appeared to be on the rise.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said earlier the military is ready to take action against Syria if called upon by the White House.
The U.S. insists Syrian security forces have used chemical weapons during its internal conflict as have the U.K. and others, a charge Damascus has denied.
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the world would hold Syria accountable for using chemical weapons.
Russia and China, meanwhile, have warned against strikes against Syria, while Iran has said a U.S. attack would embroil the oil-rich region in conflict.
Meanwhile in the U.S., the Conference Board said its index of consumer confidence rose to 81.5 in August from an upwardly revised 81.0 in July. Analysts had expected the index to fall to 79.0.
Also in the U.S., the S&P/Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas rose 12.1% on year in June, in line with market expectations.
While uncertainty still remains as to when the Federal Reserve will begin tapering the pace of its USD85 billion in monthly bond purchases, which should give the dollar longer-term support, monetary murkiness took a back seat to fears of a military conflict between the U.S. and Syria on Tuesday.
The greenback was up against the pound, with GBP/USD down 0.24% at 1.5536.
The dollar was down against the yen, with USD/JPY down 1.41% at 97.12, and down against the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF trading down 0.53% at 0.9181.
The dollar was mixed against its cousins in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with USD/CAD down 0.16% at 1.0486, AUD/USD down 0.57% at 0.8976 and NZD/USD trading down 0.74% at 0.7794.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.29% at 81.18.
On Wednesday, the U.S. is to release private sector data on pending home sales.
The yen served as the currency of choice amid the day's geopolitical uncertainty.
In U.S. trading on Monday, EUR/USD was up 0.13% at 1.3388.
Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons in its internal conflict steered investors away from the dollar as the possibility of U.S. military strikes appeared to be on the rise.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said earlier the military is ready to take action against Syria if called upon by the White House.
The U.S. insists Syrian security forces have used chemical weapons during its internal conflict as have the U.K. and others, a charge Damascus has denied.
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the world would hold Syria accountable for using chemical weapons.
Russia and China, meanwhile, have warned against strikes against Syria, while Iran has said a U.S. attack would embroil the oil-rich region in conflict.
Meanwhile in the U.S., the Conference Board said its index of consumer confidence rose to 81.5 in August from an upwardly revised 81.0 in July. Analysts had expected the index to fall to 79.0.
Also in the U.S., the S&P/Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas rose 12.1% on year in June, in line with market expectations.
While uncertainty still remains as to when the Federal Reserve will begin tapering the pace of its USD85 billion in monthly bond purchases, which should give the dollar longer-term support, monetary murkiness took a back seat to fears of a military conflict between the U.S. and Syria on Tuesday.
The greenback was up against the pound, with GBP/USD down 0.24% at 1.5536.
The dollar was down against the yen, with USD/JPY down 1.41% at 97.12, and down against the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF trading down 0.53% at 0.9181.
The dollar was mixed against its cousins in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with USD/CAD down 0.16% at 1.0486, AUD/USD down 0.57% at 0.8976 and NZD/USD trading down 0.74% at 0.7794.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.29% at 81.18.
On Wednesday, the U.S. is to release private sector data on pending home sales.