Investing.com - The Aussie was down slightly in Asia on Thursday as trade data was better than expected, but retail sales came in weaker, while the yen was rattled by a view from a central bank board member on negative interest rates.
AUD/USD traded at 0.7257, down 0.01%, while USD/JPY changed hands at 109.32, down 0.20%.
The yen saw some volatility after Bank of board member Japan Takehiro Sato suggested the policy of negative rates by the Bank of Japan may have backfired on consumer sentiment.
In Australia, the trade balance for April came in ata deficit of A$1.579 billion, narrower than the A$2.0 billion expected, with imports down 1% and exports up 1% month-on-month. At the same time, retail sales rose 0.2%, less than the expected 0.3% gain in April month-on-month.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, eased 0.05% to 95.37.
Overnight, the dollar remained broadly lower against the other major currencies on Wednesday as a series of mixed U.S. economic reports added to doubts over whether the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates in June.
The Institute of Supply Management said its manufacturing purchasing managers’ index rose to 51.3 in May from 50.8 in April, compared to expectations for the index to tick down to 50.4.
But the new orders index dipped from 55.8 in April to 55.7 and the employment index was flat at 49.2
The report came after a similar survey by research group Markit showing that factory activity slowed slightly in May, hitting the lowest level since September 2009.
The final reading of the Markit manufacturing PMI came in at 50.7, better than the preliminary estimate of 50.5, but below Aprils reading of 50.8.
A separate report showed that U.S. construction spending fell 1.8% in April, the largest monthly decline since January 2011. Economists had forecast an increase of 0.6%.
The figures came after other mixed economic reports earlier in the week raised concerns over the outlook for second quarter growth.
Investors were turning their attention to Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report for May for fresh indications on the strength of the labor market.
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said last week it could be appropriate raise rates in the coming months if the economy and the labor market continue to pick up as expected, fueling expectations for a June rate hike.
The Fed hiked interest rates in December for the first time in almost a decade.
The yen strengthened earlier after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he was planning to delay a scheduled sales tax hike by two-and-a-half years, amid ongoing weakness in the economy.