Investing.com - The Japanese yen held weaker against the dollar with markets in Tokyo shut on Monday as investors eyed weak growth after a gauge of China's manufacturing activity released at the weekend fell to a five-month low.
USD/JPY traded at 112.83, up 0.45%, while AUD/USD eased 0.45% to 0.8758. EUR/USD traded at 1.2509, down 0.13%.
China's official Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index dropped to 50.8 in October from 51.1 in September, according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, which issues the data with the National Bureau of Statistics. The index remained above the key 50 level, which separates expansion from contraction compared with the previous month, but was below expectations of a reading that matched September's tally of 51.1.
Zhao Qinghe of the National Bureau of statistics said smaller companies were still facing difficulties amid the slower expansion and that "looking ahead there is a need for stepped up targeted measures."
The weaker readings also came despite a slight rise in a private measurement of factory health compiled by HSBC. The preliminary HSBC China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 50.4 in October, from a final reading of 50.2 in September. A final tally for October is due Monday.
Elsewhere, Australia's AiGroup manufacturing index is due at 0930 Sydney time (2230 GMT). In September, the index slipped slightly and remained in contraction territory despite the fall in the Australian dollar.
This would be followed by the TD-MI inflation gauge at 1030 (2330 GMT), which is expected to show inflation stayed in the lower half of the RBA's 2% to 3% target band.
An hour later, at 1130 (0030 GMT), September building approvals and October ANZ job ads are due.
Last week, the dollar shot up against most major currencies on Friday after the Bank of Japan surprised markets by beefing up its stimulus program, while strong U.S. data also fueled demand for the currency.
The yen came under broad selling pressure after the BOJ said it would raise its monetary base target to an annual increase of ¥80 trillion from ¥60-70 trillion, a preemptive move to steer the economy away from deflationary decline while improving the chances of reaching inflation goals.
Adding to pressure, a Japanese government panel overseeing the Government Pension Investment Fund approved plans on Friday for the fund to raise its holding of foreign stocks to 25% of its portfolio from 12%.
Friday's changes to Japanese monetary policy caught many investors off guard and sent the dollar soaring over the yen and most other currencies as well.
Strong data out of the U.S. also bolstered the greenback.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan final consumer sentiment index rose to a seven-year high of 86.9 this month from 86.4 in September. Analysts had expected the index to remain unchanged.
In addition, industry data showed that the Chicago purchasing managers' index rose to a three-and-a-half year high of 66.2 in October from 60.5 in September, confounding expectations for a reading of 60.0.
The US dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was up 0.92% at 87.04.
On Monday, The U.S. releases construction spending for September, seen up 0.7% on month, and the ISM data is due on manufacturing assessments.