The Japanese yen and several other Asian currencies made small gains against the dollar on weaker than expected US growth in the second quarter.
JAPANESE YEN: The yen gained ground during the week against the dollar on weaker than expected US growth in the second quarter, dealers said.
The Japanese unit stood at 111.68 to the dollar in Tokyo afternoon trade on Friday, up from 111.90 yen a week ago.
There was no lead for the market to buy the dollar after second quarter US growth figures showed a marked slowdown, said Kikuko Takeda, currency analyst at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi.
The US Commerce Department announced on Friday the nation's gross domestic product grew at an annualised rate of 3.0 percent in the second quarter, well below the consensus forecast for a rise of around 3.6 percent.
But the yen's strength appeared limited on a slump in Japanese stocks, dealers said.
For the week just ended, the Nikkei-225 average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 353.21 points, or 3.12 percent, to 10,972.57. The broader TOPIX index of all-first section shares fell 32.50 points, or 2.85 percent, to 1,107.12.
The US Department of Homeland Security said on Sunday last week that al Qaeda might attack symbols of international finance such as the New York Stock Exchange and the IMF and World Bank headquarters in Washington.
While the alert led to renewed nervousness during the week, there was limited reaction in global foreign exchange markets.
AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR: The Australian dollar is expected to lose ground against the greenback next week amid an anticipated US interest rate hike, dealers said.
The currency ended the week at 70.40 US cents, up slightly on last week's 69.57 US cents.
ANZ currency strategist Craig Ferguson said the coming week could be a tough one for the Australian dollar if US equity markets provide a negative lead.
The Reserve Bank's quarterly statement on monetary policy is expected to raise concerns about unsustainable credit growth but analysts do not expect any movement ahead of an election likely to be called in October or November.
The Reserve Bank last hiked rates to 5.25 percent in December, leaving them on hold at last Tuesday's monthly monetary policy meeting, and Prime Minister John Howard has said he sees no immediate need to tighten the lending rate.
NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR: New Zealand's dollar closed Friday worth 64.40 US cents, up from 63.29 cents a week earlier.
SINGAPORE DOLLAR: The US dollar was at 1.7230 Singapore dollars on Friday from 1.7249 the previous week.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong's US-pegged dollar was at 7.798 on Friday, from 7.775 the previous week.
INDONESIAN RUPIAH: The Indonesian rupiah ended the week lower at 9,188-9,193 to the dollar compared with 9,148-9,158 the previous week.
PHILIPPINE PESO: The Philippines peso traded higher at 55.715 to the dollar late Friday, compared to 55.950 on July 30.
SOUTH KOREAN WON: The won closed at 1,162.60 won per dollar Friday, compared with 1,170.0 won a week earlier, as the greenback became softer in overseas market following weaker US economic data.
TAIWAN DOLLAR: The Taiwan dollar ended the week at 34.156 against the US dollar Friday, compared to 34.136 the previous week.
The unit stood at 34.103 on Monday and closed at 34.100 Tuesday. It finished at 34.173 on Wednesday and at 34.155 on Thursday.
THAI BAHT: The Thai baht closed Friday at its lowest level against the dollar in a year due to soaring global oil prices and a plunge in the local stock market, dealers said.
The baht closed at 41.40-42 to the dollar compared to the previous week's close of 41.34-37.