Washington: The dollar rose Tuesday ahead of an expected interest rate cut by the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday, following data that showed a modest increase in US job openings during October. The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the US currency against a basket of six major currencies, rose 0.2 percent to 99.22 points.

According to Qatar News Agency, the dollar showed strength against the Japanese yen, climbing to 156.735 yen, and also gained against the euro, which saw a slight decline of 0.1 percent to $1.1619. Meanwhile, the Australian dollar experienced a rise of 0.4 percent to US$0.6647 after its central bank opted to keep interest rates steady for the third successive month at 3.6 percent.

The Japanese yen initially gained ground in Asian trading following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck northeastern Japan overnight. The Chinese yuan remained stable at 7.0622 per dollar. On the other hand, the British pound saw a minor decline, edging down to $1.3312, while the New Zealand dollar rose by 0.3 percent to $0.5794.

Financial markets are on edge as they anticipate a US interest rate cut, with additional central bank decisions expected globally before the start of the upcoming week. The dollar's upward movement was bolstered by US employment data released on Tuesday, which indicated a modest increase in job openings for October despite a continued sluggish pace of hiring.

According to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, a key measure of labor market demand, job openings increased by 12,000 to reach 7.67 million at the end of October.