Yen A Tad Stronger Ahead Of China Prices After Current Account
The yen gained on Monday in Asia ahead of China prices data and after Japan reported a narrower current account surplus.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was up 0.02% to 95.80.
On Monday, China releases producer prices and consumer inflation for June, with a 0.1% fall month-on-month expected and a 1.5% gain annually. Producer prices are seen up 5.5% on year.
Earlier, Japan reported its unadjusted current account surplus at ¥1.654 trillion, narrower than the ¥1.796 trillion seen, while core machinery orders fell 3.6% on year in May, compared to a gain of 7.7%. USD/JPY changed hands at 113.98, up 0.06%.
In the week ahead, investors will focus on Fed Chair Janet Yellen's testimony on monetary policy, as well as U.S. data on inflation and retail sales due out on Friday and trade data from China on Thursday.
Last week, the dollar rose against a basket of the other major currencies on Friday after data showing that the U.S. economy created jobs at a robust pace last month supported expectations for a third hike by the Federal Reserve this year.
The U.S. economy added 222,000 jobs last month the Labor Department reported, more than the 179,000 new jobs expected by economists. Figures for April and May were also revised to show that 47,000 more jobs were created than previously reported.
The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4% from a 16-year low of 4.3% in May as more people looked for work, a sign of confidence in the labor market. But wage growth continued to lag, with wage inflation growing by an annualized 2.5% in June, below forecasts for 2.6%.
The dollar initially fell against the yen amid concerns over the inflation implications of weak wage growth data, before rebounding amid optimism over the strong headline number.
The rapid pace of jobs growth reassured investors that the economy is on a strong enough footing to justify the Fed's plans to raise interest rates once more this year. The Fed hiked rates at its June meeting and stuck to its forecast for one more rate hike this year, but the subdued inflation outlook has raised doubts over whether the officials will be able to stick to their planned tightening path.
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