The dollar was mixed in Asia on Thesday with few immedi¬ate trading cues to move markets, after sentiment got a boost from an upbeat US jobs report and better-than-expected Japan growth figures.
In Tokyo midday trading, the greenback weakened to to2.33 yen from 1o2.33 yen on Monday in New York, while the euro drifted lower to 139,0 Yet against ‘39.35 Yen-The European single currency slipped to $1.3588, com¬pared with $1.3392 in US trade.
Dealers said the morning decline in Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index was a key factor in driving down the dollar-yen rate.
‘There are no other market-moving leads-traders are watching the stock market and the Nikkei’s fall is affecting” rates, said Marito Ueda, senior dealer at FX Prime Corp. ‘There are just no factors to push the dollar up against the yen,. he told AFP.
The dollar-yen rate and Tokyo’s stock market are closely linked, with the value of the yen directly affecting Japanese exporters’ profitability.
On Friday, the Labor Department said the US economy added 217,000 jobs in May, while unemployment held at a multi-year low of 6.3 percent, unchanged from ApriL
