Investing.com - The U.S. dollar was near flat on Tuesday in Asia as investors waited for an outcome from Sino-U.S. trade talks in Washington due later this week.
The U.S. dollar index that tracks the greenback against a basket of other currencies last traded at 98.657 by 12:55 AM ET (04:55 GMT), down 0.01%.
Top-level talks are scheduled to resume on Thursday, when Chinese Vice Premier Liu He meets with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Hopes of a trade deal being reached in the near future are slim, reports said, as China is refusing to make concessions on its industrial policy, such as the extensive subsidies for state-owned enterprises.
Tensions between the two sides escalated further after the U.S. placed eight Chinese technology companies on a blacklist because of alleged human-rights violations.
The USD/CNY pair lost 0.3% to 7.1261.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump’s problems in Washington escalated as he has been ordered by a New York court to turn over eight years of personal and corporate tax returns, according to a report published by the New York Times.
The Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is investigating whether Trump broke New York state law in reimbursing his former lawyer Michael Cohen for payments made to the porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election, the report said.
Trump is expected to appeal on the ground that sitting presidents are granted immunity from criminal prosecution.
Meanwhile, the pound held onto losses as European leaders cast doubt on reaching a Brexit agreement in time for the U.K.’s Oct. 31 deadline.
The GBP/USD pair slipped 0.1%, while the EUR/USD pair inched up 0.1%.
The AUD/USD pair and the NZD/USD pair gained 0.2% and 0.4% respectively.
The Japanese yen dropped today as Asian markets traded mostly in the green, decreasing the appeal of the safe-haven currency.
The USD/JPY pair rose 0.1% to 107.38.