• The dollar hit a four-month low against the yen on Tuesday after North Korea fired a missile that passed over northern Japan, the latest act of provocation by Pyongyang that has ramped up global tensions.
The dollar was down 0.4 percent at 108.81 yen , having slid to as low as 108.33 yen in early Asian trade on Tuesday, its lowest level since mid-April.
The euro was down 0.1 percent at $1.1969 . Earlier on Tuesday the euro rose to $1.1986, its highest since January 2015.
The dollar index against a basket of six major currencies <.DXY> <=USD> was little changed at 92.207 by late morning, recouping early losses.
• Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe have vowed to increase pressure on North Korea after the regime launched a missile over Japan on Tuesday morning.
The Japanese prime minister denounced the launch as an “unprecedented and grave threat” to the country’s security. In a 40-minute phone call with Trump, they agreed to call for an emergency meeting of the UN security council to discuss the situation.
• The European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Monday he was concerned at the slow progress of Brexit talks, while his British counterpart David Davis called for “imagination and flexibility” to move on.
British officials arrived in Brussels on Monday hoping to push the EU toward talks about their post-Brexit ties, which the bloc refuses to launch until there is agreement on London’s exit bill and other pressing “divorce” matters, including the rights of EU citizens in Britain after March 2019.
• British house price growth eased to a three-month low in August, adding to signs that the squeeze on household spending since last year’s Brexit vote has led to a slowdown in the housing market, a survey showed on Tuesday.
House prices slipped 0.1 percent in August compared with the previous month, after rising 0.2 percent in July.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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