NEW YORK: The euro kept up its weeklong-climb Wednesday as expectations mounted of a fresh rescue deal for Greece and Spanish market pressures eased after Moody's opted not to downgrade the country.
Meanwhile the yen continued its fall, with analysts saying stronger US economic data -- the pace of new housing starts hit a four-year high, figures showed Wednesday -- adding to a trend toward greater risk to push the Japanese currency lower.
At 2100 GMT the euro was at $1.3120 compared with $1.3057 around the same time Tuesday.
The eurozone currency hit $1.2848 on September 10 before launching into a steady climb as confidence built in Spain's path forward.
"Risk appetite was on the rise for a third consecutive day Wednesday, but the performance of the regular suspects was uneven," said John Kicklighter, senior currency strategist at DailyFX.
"There is certainly a 'risk appetite' element to the week's climb so far, but it is lacking for the kind of conviction necessary to sustain a lasting trend -- that is unless we have something specific to rally behind," he warned.
He said traders will be on watch for China's release of third-quarter GDP data and the outcome of the two-day EU summit that opens Thursday.
Meanwhile the dollar pushed to 78.97 yen from 78.89 yen, and the euro hit 103.60 yen, up from 102.96.
Nomura Global FX Research said the yen's continuing fade was due in part to more pressure to push it lower by the Bank of Japan and the Japanese Ministry of Finance.
The dollar-yen rate "has been trading in a tight range for the last 2-3 months. But we think risks are increasingly skewed towards a break to the upside," Nomura said.
"US data has surprised to the upside lately, especially in relation to housing and household consumption. This has started to impact the US yield curve and could impact USD/JPY with a lag.
"In addition, global risk sentiment continues to improve, and similar to Q1 2012; this is a potential catalyst for yen weakness."
In other currencies, the dollar slipped to 0.9221 Swiss francs from 0.9256 francs late Tuesday, while the British pound rose to $1.6146 from $1.6116.
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