Germany_The euro fell slightly against the dollar on Tuesday after a report showed that U.S. leading indicators rose in September. Tight credit markets and a push for a new consumer stimulus package from the Federal Reserve also lifted the dollar.
The 15-nation euro bought US$1.3319 in early European trading, down slightly from US$1.3323 late Monday in New York.
The U.S. economy's health improved for the first time in five months in September as supplier deliveries and new orders strengthened, a private research group said Monday.
The New York-based Conference Board said its monthly forecast of future economic activity rose 0.3 percent, a better reading than the 0.2 percent drop expected by Wall Street economists.
Though U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned that the U.S. economy is likely to be "weak for several quarters, and with some risk of a protracted slowdown," he indicated that he would support a new fiscal stimulus package to prop up growth in the U.S.
Equity markets in Asia, Europe and Latin America also rallied on Monday, inspired by the fall in interbank lending rates after governments and central banks cut interest rates and injected huge sums of cash into battered banks and financial companies in recent weeks.
In other trading, the British pound bought US$1.7180 Tuesday, compared with US$1.7121 Monday, while the dollar bought 101.48 Japanese yen, down from 101.88 yen late Monday in New York.
