U.S. dollar climbs amid Brexit uncertainty

The U.S. dollar appreciated in late trading on Friday amid falling sterling, as market participants awaited more updates concerning Brexit.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, was up 0.20 percent at 97.8311 at 3:00 p.m. (1900 GMT).

Sterling was under pressure as Brexit uncertainty lingered.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday called for a Dec. 12 general election, in an effort to break the political deadlock over Brexit.

The move came days after the Brexit legislation was in limbo after MPs rejected Johnson's plan to get it through the House of Commons in three days.

In late New York trading on Friday, the euro fell to 1.1080 U.S. dollars from 1.1107 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound fell to 1.2829 dollars from 1.2863 dollars in the previous session. The Australian dollar was down to 0.6820 dollar from 0.6821 dollar.

The U.S. dollar bought 108.68 Japanese yen, higher than 108.61 Japanese yen of the previous session. The U.S. dollar was up to 0.9941 Swiss franc from 0.9920 Swiss franc, and it fell to 1.3061 Canadian dollars from 1.3071 Canadian dollars.