|
 The dollar index was steady at 81.479, having risen 2.1 percent in
July to a 10-1/2 month peak of 81.573.
Against the yen, the dollar edged up 0.1 percent to 102.89 yen but
stayed below a four-month high of 103.15 yen struck on Wednesday.
The question now is whether this is the beginning of a lasting
uptrend, one that has frustrated dollar bulls for much of this year,
or another false start.
The U.S. jobs report due at 1230 GMT could provide a clue. A Reuters
survey of economists showed payrolls probably increased by 233,000
in July.
While that would be less than June's hefty increase of 288,000 jobs,
it would still represent a sixth straight month that employment has
expanded by more than 200,000, a stretch not seen since 1997.
"If it comes in above 250,000, I think that's the threshold for a
positive surprise," said Callum Henderson, global head of FX
research for Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore.
Such an outcome could lift the dollar to levels around 103.50 to
104.00 yen, he said. Standard Chartered, however, is expecting
nonfarm payrolls to increase by a below consensus 200,000, and for
the dollar to pull back to levels around 102.50 yen, Henderson
added.
With the Federal Reserve playing coy on when interest rates will
rise, markets are looking more and more to economic data to make
their own bets.
Analysts at BNP Paribas expect payrolls to increase by 225,000.
"Data in line with our forecasts should leave markets focused on the
possibility that the Fed begins tightening policy in the first half
of 2015 rather than waiting to Q3, keeping US front-end rates and
the USD supported," they wrote in a note to clients.
The euro last traded at $1.3388, steadying near a trough of $1.3366
plumbed earlier in the week, its lowest level since last November.
[to top of second column] |
Sentiment toward the common currency was dampened on Thursday by
data that showed annual inflation in the euro zone fell in July to
its lowest since the height of the financial crisis in 2009.
That should keep the risk of deflation on policymakers' radar,
although it is unlikely to spur the European Central Bank into
immediate policy action when it meets next week.
The Australian dollar held steady at $0.9292, having touched a
two-month low of $0.9280 on Thursday. The Aussie dollar had fallen
1.4 percent in July against a broadly stronger U.S. dollar.
The Aussie showed a muted reaction to surveys showing an
acceleration in Chinese manufacturing activity. A government survey
showed that activity in China's factory sector expanded at the
fastest pace in 27 months in July, while a private survey showed
that it posted its strongest growth in 18 months.
(Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Simon Cameron-Moore)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright
2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
