Investing.com - The yen held mostly steady in Asia on Wednesday ahead of the latest Federal Reserve review on rates and its own central bank review the following day.
USD/JPY changed hands at 111.30, down 0.01%, while AUD/USD was flat at 0.7748 ahead of inflation data.
New Zealand said its trade balance showed a deficit of NZ$3.38 billion year-on-year for March, a bit narrower than expected.
NZD/USD traded at 0.6895, down 0.04%, after the data.
Ahead, Australia reports first quarter CPI figures with a 0.3% gain seen quarter-on-quarter, and a 1.8% pace seen year-on-year.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was last quoted at 94.45.
Overnight, the dollar remained broadly lower against the other major currencies on Tuesday, as the release of disappointing U.S. economic reports dampened demand for the greenback and as investors remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve’s policy statement on Wednesday.
The Conference Board reported on Tuesday that its index of consumer confidence fell to 94.2 this month from a reading of 96.1 in March, whose figure was revised from a previously reported 96.2. Analysts expected the index to inch down to 96.0 in April.
The data came after the U.S. Commerce Department said that total durable goods orders rose 0.8% last month, compared to expectations for a increase of 1.8%. February's orders were revised down to a decrease of 3.1% from a previously reported 3.0% decline.
Core durable goods orders, which exclude volatile transportation items, slipped 0.2% last month, compared to forecasts for a 0.5% increase. February's core durable goods orders had shown a 1.3% decline.
The Bank of Japan is to wrap up its two-day policy meeting on Thursday and in recent days expectations for more easing have mounted.