On Tuesday the greenback remained lower against the other major currencies, as the release of pessimistic manufacturing data from the New York
area added to worries over the strength of the U.S. economic recovery.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in a report that its general business conditions index decreased to 7.8 this month from a reading of 10.0 in January. Analysts had expected the index to dip to 8.5 in February.
The euro extended gains against the dollar, with EUR/USD climbing 0.59% to 1.1421.
The euro found support after the ZEW Centre for Economic Research said that its index of German economic sentiment rose by 4.6 points to 53.0 this month from January’s reading of 48.4. It was the highest reading since February 2014, but was still below expectations of 55.0.
However, market players remained cautious as Greece’s current €240 billion bailout is due to expire at the end of the month and the new Greek government does not want it extended. Athens rejected a proposed six-month extension of the bailout on Monday, calling it "unacceptable".
Athens has until Friday to request an extension otherwise its bailout will expire on February 28 and the country will run out of money.
The standoff between Greece and its creditors has driven fears that it could trigger the country’s exit from the euro zone. Later in the day the European Central Bank was to decide whether to suspend emergency financial support for Greece.
The pound edged lower against the dollar, with GBP/USD down 0.08% to 1.5353 after a report showed UK consumer price inflation decelerated to 0.3% last month from 0.5% in December, broadly in line with market expectations.
The pair USD/JPY added 0.17% to trade at 118.68, while USD/CHF slipped 0.20% to 1.9301.
The Australian and New Zealand dollars were higher, with AUD/USD gaining 0.60% to 1.7819 and NZD/USD advancing 0.52% to 0.7541. In the minutes of its February policy meeting, the Reserve Bank Australia earlier said that it cut rates this month due to the deteriorating economic outlook.
In the meantime, the Canadian dollar remained higher, with USD/CAD retreating 0.68% to 1.2383 even as Statistics Canada reported that foreign securities purchases declined by C$13.55 billion in December, compared to expectations for a C$5.35 billion rise.
November's figure was revised to a C$4.30 billion increase from a previously estimated C$4.29 billion gain.
