Higher-risk currencies rose tangibly on Tuesday as markets appeared to give Hillary Clinton the edge over Donald Trump in the first US presidential debate.

"Trump is largely regarded as a market negative and certainly him doing quite poorly in the debate reassures a lot of investors," said IG Ltd. analyst Angus Nicholson.

Prior to Monday's showdown, investors had moved into assets believed to be safe bets such as the Japanese yen as uncertainty over who would do better in the neck-and-neck race for the White House had been high.

Peso in focus

But after hearing Clinton's and Trump's comments on the economy, trade and taxes, traders on Tuesday pushed back into riskier assets.

"The peso, Canadian dollar and Australian dollar are all surging - very much a relief rally in risk assets," Westpac Banking strategist Sean Callow told Bloomberg News.

The Mexican currency rebounded off a record low, rising nearly 2 percent against the greenback. The unit had slumped ahead of the debate as the prospect of a Trump presidency fanned concerns about the Republican candidate's pledge to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

While the Canadian and Australian dollars each gained 0.4 percent against the greenback, the rupiah jumped by 0.7 percent. The Taiwan dollar was up 0.6 percent, and the riskier Malaysian ringgit added 0.3 percent.

hg/jd (AFP, Reuters)