Investing.com - The U.S. dollar was flat against other currencies on Tuesday, as investors worried about Chinese-U.S. trade relations.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a basket of six major currencies, fell 0.03% to 95.09 as of 5:19 AM ET (9:19 GMT).
Trade war tensions continued to worry investors. Robert E. Lighthizer, the United States trade representative met with European Union officials in Brussels on Monday to discuss trade tariffs. While Lighthizer called the talks “constructive,” a deal is not likely to be reached as soon as the White House administration would like.
Meanwhile U.S. President Donald Trump wants to impose tariffs on almost all imported Chinese goods .China’s foreign ministry said on Monday that it would respond to any new steps on trade.
The dollar rose against the safe-haven yen, with USD/JPY increasing 0.22% to 111.36. In times of uncertainty, investors tend to invest in the Japanese yen, which is considered a safe asset during periods of risk aversion.
The euro was higher as concerns over Italian debt eased. EUR/USD increased 0.13% to 1.1607. Italian government borrowing costs lowered this week after Economy Minister Giovanni Tria predicted yields would drop and the government lays out its budget for 2019.
Comments from EU negotiator Michel Barnier, who said a Brexit deal in six to eight weeks is 'realistic,” continued to bolster sterling as a no-deal Brexit looked less likely. GBP/USD inched up 0.06% to 1.3034.
The Australian dollar was lower, with AUD/USD down 0.08% to 0.7109 while NZD/USD fell 0.03% to 0.6524. The loonie was higher against the dollar, with USD/CAD decreasing 0.08% to 1.3154.