The yuan closed slightly lower against the dollar on Thursday after the People's Bank of China (PBOC) fixed a moderately weaker official midpoint to guide the Chinese currency away from a record high hit a day earlier, traders said. The spot rate closed at 6.1963 per dollar, 0.04 percent lower than Wednesday's close of 6.1939, retreating from an all-time high of 6.1923 hit in intraday trading on Wednesday. Before trading began, the PBOC let the yuan depreciate moderately by lowering its midpoint to 6.2578 on Thursday from Wednesday's 6.2548.