Meanwhile, the dollar index (DXY 78.60, -0.16, -0.21%) , which measures the U.S. unit against a basket of six major currencies, stood at 78.71, up a touch from 78.705 late Tuesday. The Australian Bureau of Statistics said GDP rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6% in the April-through-June quarter from the first three months of the year, beating economists' consensus forecast that called for a 0.2% increase. See full story on Australian GDP. 1.801.601.401.201.00 09NFAJA "At this stage, our preferred scenario is that the RBA will deliver back-to-back 25-basis point tightenings at the November and December policy board meetings," said Glenn Maguire, chief Asia-Pacific economist at Societe Generale, in referring to the Reserve Bank of Australia, the nation's central bank. "It goes without saying that these are unambiguously positive Australian dollar developments," he wrote in emailed comments. The Aussie traded at 83.23 U.S. cents, up from 82.60 cents in late North American trading on Tuesday and higher than the 82.71 cents at which it changed hands shortly before the data were released. For its part, the U.S. dollar rose against most other major rivals, though it fell against the Japanese yen in line with rising risk aversion as most international stock markets traded in the red. The greenback bought 92.62 yen, down from 92.96 yen late Tuesday. The euro was trading at $1.4234, up from $1.4223 on Tuesday, and the British pound climbed to $1.6229 from $1.6160. Another mover was the Norwegian kroner, which slumped 0.5% against one of its most actively traded crosses, the Swedish crown. Norway's purchasing managers index, compiled by NIMA and Fokus Bank, slumped to 42.3 in August from 50.1 in July. A raft of U.S. economic data is on tap, including ADP's estimate of private-sector employment as well as a revision to U.S. productivity. Lisa Twaronite reports for MarketWatch from Tokyo. Steve Goldstein in London contributed to this report

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