The yen rose to a 15-year high against the dollar and a nine-year peak versus the euro on Tuesday amid fears the global economy is slowing, testing Japanese authorities' resolve to stem the currency's climb. The yen's rise accelerated as stop-loss sales were triggered in euro/yen at around 107 yen, while traders cited macro hedge-fund selling of the euro against the dollar.
The greenback was last trading at a 15-year low at 83.82 yen in New York, down about 1.5 percent on the day. The euro also fell against the yen to trade at 105.44 yen, its lowest since November 2001. It was last at 106.37 yen, down 1.2 percent on the day. Against the dollar, the single currency rebounded from a six-week low after the housing data to trade up 0.4 percent at $1.2693.