Investing.com - The Australian dollar was steady to weaker in early Asia on Tuesday with central bank minutes in focus and an otherwise light data day in the region.
AUD/USD traded at 0.7372, flat, while USD/JPY changed hands at 124.43, up 0.03%.
A relatively quiet day in Asia today with the main event being the RBA August meeting minutes at 1130 local (0130 GMT). House price data from China is also possible.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was last at 96.83, flat.
Overnight, the dollar remained modestly higher against a basket of major currencies on Monday, shrugging off a weak reading of U.S. manufacturing activity as concerns over the recent devaluation of the yuan eased.
The greenback showed little reaction after a report showing that manufacturing activity in the New York region slumped to its lowest level since November 2009 this month as new orders fell sharply.
This was offset by another report showing that US house builder sentiment rose to its highest level in nearly a decade this month.
The greenback remained supported as investors looked ahead to Wednesday’s minutes of the Federal Reserve’s July meeting, which it was hoped would provide more clarity on its plans to hike short-term interest rates for the first time since 2006.
Overall market sentiment was boosted as concerns over a prolonged depreciation of the yuan eased after China's central bank on Monday set the midpoint rate slightly firmer than at Friday’s close.