Asian session: The dollar and euro touched three-week highs versus the yen

The dollar and euro touched three-week highs versus the yen as Congress voted in favor of a deal to end a U.S. government shutdown and raise the debt limit, damping demand for haven assets. The Senate voted 81-18 to halt the 16-day shutdown and raise the borrowing limit. The House of Representatives voted 285-144 to clear a measure that now heads to President Barack Obama for his signature. Obama plans to sign the bill tonight, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said in a statement. The framework negotiated by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, would fund the government through Jan. 15, 2014, and suspend the debt limit until Feb. 7, setting up another round of confrontations then.

The yen held losses from yesterday against its U.S. and European peers as Asian stocks rose.

The Fed Bank of Philadelphia’s general economic index probably fell to 15 in October from 22.3 the previous month, a report today is forecast to show, according to the median in a Bloomberg News survey. Readings greater than zero signal growth. The Empire State index for the New York region sank to 1.5 this month, a five-month low, an Oct. 15 report showed.

Policy makers including Fed Bank of New York President William Dudley speak today.

EUR / USD: during the Asian session the pair rose to $ 1.3550

GBP / USD: during the Asian session, the pair rose to $ 1.5985

USD / JPY: during the Asian session the pair rose to Y99.00

The UK calendar gets underway at 0830GMT, with the release of the September retail sales data.