The dollar fell broadly on Friday as dovish comments from several US central bankers raised doubts over the health of the world's biggest economy ahead of a crucial US jobs report.
The yen was the biggest gainer as news US President George W. Bush had spoken to Chinese President Hu Jintao by telephone on Thursday on currency issues rekindled speculation of an imminent upward revaluation of the Chinese yuan.
Trade was thin as investors waited to scrutinise the September payrolls report, due at 1230 GMT, for clues on the strength of the US recovery and the scope for higher interest rates.
Investors were particularly nervous after Federal Reserve governor Ben Bernanke said on Thursday the bank could temporarily halt its tightening cycle if the US economy slowed.
Dallas Fed President Robert McTeer echoed these comments and said the widening US current account deficit would require the dollar to fall over time.
"McTeer's comments on the current account deficit and the outlook for the dollar were unusually direct and we are seeing the dollar come under pressure," said Derek Halpenny, currency economist at Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi in London.
By 1145 GMT, the dollar was down 0.66 percent at 110.44 yen, just above earlier one-week lows. Against the euro, the dollar was down a quarter-percent at $1.2312.
US non-farm payrolls are expected to rise 148,000 in September compared with a gain of 144,000 in August.
Stronger jobs growth would boost the dollar as it would fan expectations the Fed will stick to its policy of measured interest rate rises, bolstering the appeal of dollar- denominated assets.
Weaker job creation might be blamed on the impact of last month's hurricanes but would cast doubt on the sustainability of the US recovery.
Speaking on Thursday, Bernanke said there was some slack in the domestic labour market, causing some traders to position for a weak number.
Germany's economic recovery also looked fragile after data on Friday showed its export motor may be stuttering before domestic demand has taken off.
Germany's trade surplus shrank in August to 11.1 billion euros, its lowest in eight months, while industrial output fell 1.0 percent on the month, double the drop predicted by analysts.
The US administration has been raising pressure on China to revalue the yuan which US manufacturers say is artificially low and saps US jobs and exports.
Bush spoke to Hu by telephone about what the White House called Beijing's commitment to steadily move to a flexible exchange rate.
Comments
Comments are closed.