Asian session review: the dollar rose slightly against major currencies

During today's Asian trading, the US dollar traded steadily against the euro and rose against the pound.

Weak statistics on the US economy, as well as fears of long discussions of the stimulus plan presented by US President-elect Joe Biden, put pressure on risky assets, experts say.

Biden's proposed package of measures to support the economy includes direct payments to Americans in the amount of $1,400, a temporary increase in payments to the unemployed, as well as raising the minimum wage at the federal level to $15 per hour. Experts believe that Biden will not be able to pass it in this form through Congress.

The focus of traders this week is the speech in the Senate on Tuesday by Janet Yellen, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve System, who was nominated by Biden for the post of Finance Minister of the country.

According to sources, Yellen will make it clear that he adheres to the approach in which the dollar exchange rate should be determined by the market. This will mean that the Ministry's position is non-intervention in the dollar, which often retreated to the current US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated the need for the adoption of Central Bank measures to weaken the dollar.

The ICE index, which tracks the dollar's performance against six currencies (euro, swiss franc, yen, canadian dollar, pound sterling and swedish krona), rose 0.07%.