NEW YORK, April 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. dollar increased in late trading on Tuesday, as positive real estate data suggested a decent U.S. economy.

The Housing Market Index rose one point to 63 in April, up one point from March, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) said Tuesday, indicating higher builder optimism for the U.S. housing market.

The index is based on a monthly survey of NAHB members designed to take the pulse of the single-family housing market. Any reading over 50 signals improving conditions.

The euro fell against the greenback on Tuesday, following a Reuters report that some European Central Bank policymakers thought the bank's economic projections for the region are too optimistic, causing concerns over the eurozone's growth.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, increased 0.10 percent at 97.0427 in late trading.

In late New York trading, the euro fell to 1.1287 dollars from 1.1304 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound decreased to 1.3052 dollars from 1.3097 U.S. dollars in the previous session. The Australian dollar decreased to 0.7173 dollar from 0.7174 dollar.

The U.S. dollar bought 111.99 Japanese yen, lower than 112.02 Japanese yen of the previous session. The U.S. dollar rose to 1.0074 Swiss francs from 1.0042 Swiss francs, and it decreased to 1.3355 Canadian dollars from 1.3377 Canadian dollars. Enditem