Dollar rises in Asia

TOKYO: The dollar rose in Asia Tuesday as upbeat US jobs data fuelled speculation of a winding down of the Fed's monetary easing programme.

The greenback bought 99.56 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade, up from 99.20 yen in New York Monday afternoon.

The euro was mixed, weakening to $1.3392 from $1.3407 in US trade, while it firmed to 133.33 yen from 133.01 yen.

Last week's strong US jobs data and better-then-expected 2.8 percent third-quarter economic growth has raised expectations that the Fed would start tapering its stimulus programme in mid-December or late January.

The jobs growth, despite a 16-day partial federal government shutdown, suggested the world's largest economy could be in better shape than previously believed.

The Fed has said any drawdown -- seen as a plus for the dollar -- hinges on signs of a firm recovery.

"More and more market players expect the Fed to start tapering the programme by the end of the year," Daisuke Karakama, market economist at Mizuho Bank told.

However, Karakama said he believed any pullback would happen in January at the earliest or possibly in March as worries linger over Washington's budget battles.