* Trump impeachment talk surges
* U.S. consumer confidence plunges in September
* German business morale rose in September
* Pound firms after UK court rules parliament suspension
illegal
(Recasts with afternoon trading, adds comments)
By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed
NEW YORK, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The dollar fell across the
board on Tuesday as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers
called for an impeachment inquiry against President Donald
Trump, even as weak consumer confidence data added to worries
over the prolonged China-U.S. trade war.
Trump confirmed on Tuesday he had withheld nearly $400
million in U.S. aid to Ukraine but denied he did so as leverage
to get its president to initiate an investigation that would
damage Democratic rival Joe Biden. In Washington, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi
was meeting with fellow Democratic lawmakers to consider
impeachment of the Republican president, who has withstood
repeated scandals since taking office in 2017. Pelosi is
scheduled to make a public statement at 5 p.m. (2100 GMT).
Pelosi will announce that the House is launching a formal
inquiry into Trump's impeachment, the Washington Post reported.
"The dollar is coming under a lot of pressure because it
looks like political risk is really starting to seep back into
the market," said Boris Schlossberg, managing director of FX
strategy with BK Asset Management in New York.
The dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency against
six major currencies, was down 0.28%.
"The actual act of impeachment, the proceedings, the
potential evidence that could come out here, all of that is
massively risk-sensitive," said Schlossberg.
Investors were taking refuge in the safe-haven Japanese yen
and the Swiss franc as they awaited more clarity, he said.
The dollar was 0.48% lower against the Yen. The greenback
fell 0.45% against the Swiss currency.
The dollar had started the U.S. session weak with the euro
finding support from data that showed German business morale
rose in September for the first time in six months.
The greenback took another hit after data showed U.S.
consumer confidence fell in September, raising worries about the
strength of the U.S. economy.
Consumer confidence fell by the most in nine months, more
than expected, as Americans' economic outlooks darkened in the
face of the U.S.-China trade war, according to a private-sector
report released on Tuesday. Sterling gained after the UK Supreme Court ruled that Prime
Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend parliament for five
weeks was unlawful, which was seen as making it less likely that
Britain would leave the European Union without a transition
agreement.
Investors, however, saw no signs of a sustainable rebound in
UK assets and said the recent events further deepened the
uncertainty now attached to the British currency.
The pound was up 0.53% against the dollar.
Graphic: World FX rates in 2019 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
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