Asian currencies weakened against the dollar over the past week, with the yen losing ground after a US job-creation surge in May suggested American economic expansion was in high gear.
JAPANESE YEN: The yen gave up its early gains against the dollar to close out the week lower with the release of solid US employment data expected to prop up the greenback's downside next week.
The Japanese currency stood at 111.05-07 to the dollar at 5:00 pm on Friday, down from 110.42-45 to the dollar a week earlier. It had fallen back after fetching 109.34-36 to the dollar on Tuesday, in the absence of major incentives.
Hours later, the US Labour Department announced that 248,000 new jobs were created in the US non-farm sector in May, better than the 225,000 expected on Wall Street.
The figure suggested the all-important labour market was growing enough to sustain economic growth.
RBS Securities Japan forex director Kosuke Hanao said weaker employment data would have "much more of an impact" as the figures have been "very nice" for the last two months.
The confirmation of the recovery trend in US employment is likely to "fuel speculation on an early US interest rate hike," promoting dollar buying, the economic journal Nihon Keizai Shimbun said in its Internet edition.
AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR: The Australian dollar is expected to struggle for gains next week, despite assurances from Reserve Bank of Australia governor Ian Macfarlane about the fundamental strength of the Australian economy, dealers said Friday.
The Australian dollar finished the week on 69.14 US cents, down from 71.77 US cents last week.
Macfarlane accused financial markets of over-reacting to figures showing the economy grew by just 0.2 percent in the March quarter, saying the outlook for inflation and growth were "pretty good".
Dealers said Macfarlane's comments convinced initially lifted the dollar but if fell back after it became clear the central bank was content to leave interest rates on hold for the moment.
The Reserve Bank board left rates on hold at 5.25 percent this week at its monthly meeting.
National Australia Bank head of global research Peter Jolly said while Macfarlane was probably correct about the strength of the economy, sentiment remained negative.
"Mr Macfarlane tried to persuade us otherwise, and I think he's right - there is a greater underlying strength in the economy than the 0.2 per cent rise in first quarter GDP suggests," he said. "But momentum is still to the downside, just at the moment."
NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR: New Zealand's dollar ended the week Friday worth 62.20 US cents, against close a week earlier of 63.35 cents.
SINGAPORE DOLLAR: The US dollar was at 1.7103 Singapore dollars on Friday from 1.6993 Singapore dollars the previous week.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong's US-pegged dollar was at 7.7964 on Friday from 7.7936 the previous week.
INDONESIAN RUPIAH: The rupiah ended the week weaker at 9,450-9,470 to the dollar compared with 9,290-9,300 the previous week.
PHILIPPINE PESO: The peso weakened to 55.880 to the dollar in late trading on Friday from 55.86 the previous week.
SOUTH KOREAN WON: The won closed at 1,163.80 won per dollar Friday, compared with 1,164.90 won a week earlier.
TAIWAN DOLLAR: The Taiwan dollar shed 0.4 percent over the week to finish at 33.582 against the greenback Friday on the back of stronger US dollar.
The currency closed at 33.449 the previous Friday.
THAI BAHT: The baht closed Friday at 40.69-71 baht to the dollar compared with the previous week's close of 40.61-63.
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