Investing.com - The dollar slipped lower against the other major currencies on Friday, as investors eyed the release of U.S. data later in the day and as concerns over declining oil prices boosted demand for the safe-haven yen and Swiss franc.
USD/JPY dropped 0.58% to 117.37.
The yen strengthened after Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell below the $30 per barrel threshold on Friday to $29.93, the lowest level since 2004, pressured lower by a global supply glut and fears of a slowdown in China.
Speaking to parliament on Friday, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda blamed declining global oil prices for Japan's low inflation and reiterated that the country was undergoing a moderate economic recovery.
The ongoing oil rout weighed on the commodity-related Australian, Canadian and New Zealand dollars.
AUD/USD plummeted 1.58% to nearly six-year lows of 0.6873 and NZD/USD tumbled 1.19% to three-month lows of 0.6400, while USD/CAD jumped 0.95% to an almost 13-year peak of 1.4502.
Meanwhile, EUR/USD gained 0.43% to trade at 1.0911.
Elsewhere, the dollar was higher against the pound, with GBP/USD down 0.45% to fresh five-and-a-half year lows of 1.4348, and was lower against the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF slipping 0.17% to 1.0030.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was down 0.20% at 98.92.