Investing.com - The Aussie fell on Tuesday in Asia after disappointing business surveys from National Australia Bank and consumer and producer prices data from China that suggested mild pressure on prices though unlikely enough to spark any monetary policy action.
AUD/USD traded at 0.7639, down 0.16%, while USD/JPY changed hands at 102.51, up 0.06%.
In Australia, NAB business confidence came in at plus-4 for July, compared with a previous reading of plus-6, along with the NAB business survey that reached plus-8, compared with a previous reading of plus-12.
China reported CPI for July with a 0.2% gain in July, a faster pace than the 0.1% gain seen month-on-month and an annual level of 1.7%, a tad below a 1.8% pace seen year-on-year. PPI figures from China showed a decline of 1.7%, less than the fall of 2.0% year-on-year expected. The data comes after weaker than expected imports last month in China reported on Monday hit sentiment on demand prospects.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was up 0.12% to 96.41.
Overnight, the dollar moved higher against the other major currencies on Monday, as Friday’s upbeat U.S. nonfarm payrolls data continued to support.
The greenback strengthened broadly on Friday after the Labor Department said the U.S. economy added 255,000 jobs last month, well above expectations for 180,000.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate held steady at 4.9%, as more people entered the labor market.
The report also showed that average hourly earnings rose month-on-month by 0.3%, beating expectations for a 0.2% gain. They were up 2.6% on the year.
The upbeat data reignited speculation that the Federal Reserve will lift interest rates this year.