By Rae Wee

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -The dollar was on the defensive on Monday ahead of a slew of U.S. economic releases that could provide further clarity on the Federal Reserve’s rate path, while the growing risk of a government shutdown there also came into sharp focus.

Currency moves were largely subdued in the early Asian session, though the dollar gave up some gains after ending last week stronger on the back of reduced Fed rate-cut bets.

Against the yen, the dollar was down 0.2% to 149.24, after having risen over 1% against the Japanese currency last week.

The euro rose 0.15% to $1.1717, while sterling edged 0.11% higher to $1.3418.

Top of investors’ minds was a looming U.S. government shutdown should Congress fail to pass a funding bill before the fiscal year ends on Tuesday.

With

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