Dollar passes ¥118 as Asian stock markets climb

The dollar climbed 0.5% against the yen in Asian trade Tuesday, as diminished risk aversion led to a rise in Asian stocks and prompted investors to exit the perceived safety of the Japanese currency.

The dollar USDJPY, +0.76%  was at ¥118.39 compared with ¥117.57 late Monday in North America.

The euro EURUSD, -0.22%  was at $1.1575 from $1.1608 and at ¥136.83 from ¥136.07. Against the Swiss franc EURCHF, -0.08%  , the euro was steady but still not far off parity, at 1.0206 francs. 

The dollar USDCHF, +0.11%  was also little changed against the Swiss currency, around 0.8813 francs.

The WSJ Dollar Index BUXX, +0.32%  , a measure of the dollar against a basket of major currencies, was up 0.32% at 84.14.