Dollar under pressure on Fed easing concerns

The US dollar was mixed with little changes against major currencies Friday, and it traded at relatively low levels on speculations that the Federal Reserve is likely to delay tapering its monetary stimulus after government shutdown. The greenback is under great pressure as investors are concerned that two weeks government shutdown and delays of a deal have damaged U.S. economy and undermined business sentiment, which may lead the Fed to maintain its quantitative easing program. U.S. Congress struck a last-minute deal on Wednesday to reopen the U.S. government and raise the debt ceiling. U.S. President Barack Obama Thursday signed the bill to fund the government through Jan. 15 and raise the debt ceiling until Feb. 7. The dollar index, which tracks the dollar against six major currencies, once dropped to 79.48, the lowest since early February. It ended flat from the previous session. The dollar also hit the lowest level against the euro since February. Investors are paying attention to a series of U.S. economic data scheduled to be released next week. The non-farm payrolls report for September is due on Tuesday. In late New York trading, the euro rose to 1.3679 dollars from 1.3676 dollars of the previous session, and the British pound increased to 1.6160 dollars from 1.6158 dollars. The Australian dollar went up to 0.9668 dollar from 0.9635 dollar. The dollar bought 97.87 Japanese yen, higher than 97.85 yen of the previous session. The dollar moved up to 0.9024 Swiss franc from 0.9021 Swiss franc, and it went up to 1.0295 Canadian dollars from 1.0288 Canadian dollars.