The dollar firmed against the yen on Monday after financial chiefs from the Group of Seven industrial nations did not push China to revalue the yuan, easing pressure on the dollar against Asian currencies.
The dollar staged a mild relief rally as the possibility - albeit widely seen as slim - that the G7 might have stepped up pressure on China to modify its yuan peg kept investors from buying the dollar before the G7 meeting on Friday.
"The markets didn't expect any surprises from the G7," said Masamichi Koike, forex manager at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.
"Still, investors who had wanted to buy the dollar waited until G7 ends just in case and they were buying today."
The G7 communiqué, issued after the meeting, repeated language used at the previous gathering, reaffirming that exchange rates should reflect economic fundamentals and calling for currency flexibility.
The dollar changed hands at around 110.75 yen, up about 0.2 percent from 110.52 in late New York trade on Friday.
It rose as high as 110.93 yen in early trade, but the Japanese currency was firmly supported below 111 yen, thanks partly to firmness in Japanese share prices.
Tokyo's bellwether Nikkei share average rose 2.68 percent on Monday.
Cheaper oil also helped the yen, which had been hurt by recent rises in oil prices due to the market's perception that Japan is the most vulnerable to price spikes because of its dependence in oil imports.
US light crude slid nearly one percent to $49.66 per barrel on Monday.
"The fall in oil prices helped the yen recover, particularly against the euro," said Koike of SMBC.
The euro dropped to around 136.85 yen, down about 0.3 percent from late US levels around 137.23 yen.
That also helped pushed the euro to around $1.2360, compared with $1.2417 at the end of last week.
Some traders said the dollar would likely be supported for now after US share prices recovered and as long-term US Treasury yields rose on fading expectations for a slowdown in the pace at which the Federal Reserve raises interest rates.
"The dollar is firming as funds are going back to the US markets, with the curve steepening as long-term bond yields rise and stocks rise," said Kikuko Takeda, a currency analyst at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi.
Dollar bulls hoped that various Fed officials slated to speak this week would put forward optimistic views on the US economy, hinting at more rate hikes in the future.
Federal Reserve Board Governor Ben Bernanke is due to speak at 1230 GMT, while Fed Board Governor Susan Bies speaks at 1500 GMT.
The bank's chief, Alan Greenspan, is slated to speak at the American Bankers Association Convention in New York on Tuesday.
"Although it is unlikely that the Fed officials will say anything to alter market expectations for rate increases, I'll be keeping an eye out as so many of them are speaking," said Takeda of Tokyo-Mitsubishi.
Many traders said they expect the Fed to raise rates once more to extend the key short-term rate to 2.00 percent by the end of the year. The central bank has two meetings left in 2004 - in November and December.
Elsewhere, sterling fell to a fresh two-week low versus the dollar after weak UK manufacturing data last week cemented the view that British interest rate might be near or already at their peak.
Sterling briefly fell to $1.7909 in Asian trade, down 0.4 percent from US levels late last week and adding to its 0.7 percent losses on Friday following an unexpected fall in the UK CIPS/Reuters manufacturing survey.
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