Nagging recession and higher interest rate worries also rattled European markets, and the pound tumbled as Britain hoped to put its disastrous recent fiscal experiment behind it with a more austere-looking budget.
The dollar index - which gauges the greenback against a basket of six counterparts that includes the yen, euro and sterling - eased 0.14% to 111.33, but still not far below Tuesday's high of 111.78, which was the strongest level since Oct. 25.