US dollar rises on ease in US-Iran tension

The US dollar rose in late trading, as investors` fears over escalating US-Iran tensions eased following US President Donald Trump`s remarks on an Iran attack. Iran on Wednesday launched ballistic missiles at Iraqi bases housing US troops in retaliation for the US killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

Trump said on Wednesday at the White House that no US casualties have resulted from the attack and that "Iran appears to be standing down," calling it "a good thing" for all parties concerned, Xinhua news agency reported.

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Safe-haven currencies including Japanese yen and Swiss franc weakened against the dollar. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, was up 0.30 per cent at 97.3000 in late trading.

In late New York trading, the euro was down to US $1.1113 from US $1.1145 in the previous session, and the British pound was down to US $1.3101 from US $1.3120 in the previous session. The Australian dollar rose to US $0.6873 from US $0.6869.

The US dollar bought 109.22 Japanese yen, higher than 108.52 Japanese yen of the previous session. The US dollar increased to 0.9737 Swiss franc from 0.9708 Swiss franc, and it increased to 1.3029 Canadian dollars from 1.3003 Canadian dollars.