Asian currencies ended the week mixed against the dollar with few leads in the Christmas and New Year holiday season.
JAPANESE YEN: The yen fell back against the dollar from a seven-week high in Tokyo in the absence of market-moving news during the Christmas and year-end holiday season.
The Japanese currency stood at 117.48-51 to the greenback late on Thursday, down from 116.01-04 at the previous week's close. Trading was suspended on Friday for a public holiday.
In Singapore, the yen fetched 116.59 to the dollar Friday afternoon, reflecting what UOB treasury economist Thomas Lam called a "sense of indecisiveness as to whether to push the dollar in one direction or another."
The business journal Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on its Internet edition that Japanese financial markets in the coming week will be swayed by the consumer price index due out on Tuesday and the mining and manufacturing index on Wednesday.
AUSSIE DOLLAR: Analysts do not expect much movement out of the Australian dollar in the coming week after it closed lower Friday.
The Australian dollar was trading at 73.08 US cents, well down on the previous week's 74.60 US cents.
Chief currency strategist at Westpac Robert Rennie said the Aussie had been hurt after selling of the New Zealand dollar left it vulnerable Friday.
One option was for more Japanese buying interest in the Australian dollar but a lack of significant data releases, either domestic or international, should see muted trading during the holiday period, Rennie said.
However, US data released in early January, including US jobs and manufacturing figures as well as Federal Open Market Committee minutes, would be "absolutely critical for the Aussie," he said.
NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR: The New Zealand dollar ended the week at a five-year low of 67.25 US cents, down from 68.85 US cents the previous Friday.
As sentiment turned more negative in the wake of disappointing current account and gross domestic product data during the week, forex dealers warned the kiwi could go into free fall in the New Year.
Hedge funds have gone heavily short New Zealand dollars on the expectation the currency will lose ground and are likely to encourage a disorderly fall.
Bank of New Zealand currency strategist Sue Trinh said the weakening trend would extend into 2006, "with risks firmly slanted in favour of a sub-60 US cents outcome by the end of the coming year".
CHINESE YUAN: The Chinese yuan closed at 8.0762 to the US dollar Friday, the central bank said in a statement on its website. That compared with a closing price of 8.0735 the previous week.
HONG KONG DOLLAR: The US-pegged Hong Kong dollar closed Friday at 7.7525 from 7.753 the previous week.
INDONESIAN RUPIAH: The rupiah closed Friday slightly stronger at 9,850-9,860 to the dollar compared to the previous week's close of 9,890-9,900.
PHILIPPINES PESO: The Philippine peso traded higher at 53.27 to the dollar on Friday afternoon compared with 53.45 a week earlier.
SINGAPORE: The dollar was at 1.6683 Singapore dollars on Friday compared with 1.6695 the previous week.
SOUTH KOREAN WON: The won closed at 1,013.50 won to the dollar Friday, compared with 1,016.20 won a week earlier as the US currency weakened against the Japanese yen in overseas markets and exporters began their usual end-of-month selling of dollar earnings.
TAIWAN DOLLAR: The Taiwan dollar was virtually unchanged against the dollar, closing at 33.178 compared with 33.174 a week earlier.
THAI BAHT: The Thai baht was flat against the dollar over the past week as exporters and importers were absent from the market due to the Christmas and New Year holidays, dealers said.
The Thai unit closed at 40.92-94 to the greenback on Friday, against 40.95-98 a week earlier.
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