US dollar near 8-mth low as US shutdown enters 2nd week

TOKYO: The dollar skidded to near an eight-month low on Tuesday as the U.S. government shutdown entered its second week, leaving investors on tenterhooks as politicians in Washington made little headway in agreeing a deal to avoid an historic U.S. debt default.

This anxiety kept Asian shares on the back foot, with Japan's Nikkei down 0.4 percent to a five-week low after shedding 1.2 percent on Monday and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan off 0.1 percent.