Forex - Euro falls in early Asia as Greece delays IMF payment

Investing.com - The euro dropped further in early Asia on Friday after Greece delayed a key debt payment to the International Monetary Fund, while regionally investors looked ahead to indicators out of Japan.

EUR/USD fell 0.28% to 1.1206 in early Asia.

On Friday as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, facing fury among his leftist supporters, demanded changes to tough terms from international creditors for aid to stave off bankruptcy.

The IMF said Athens had informed the global lender that it plans to bundle four payments due in June into a single €1.6 billion lump sum, which is now due on June 30.

"Under an Executive Board decision adopted in the late 1970s, country members can ask to bundle together multiple principal payments falling due in a calendar month," IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said in a statement.

It was the first time in five years of crisis that Greece has postponed a repayment on its €240 billion bailouts from euro zone governments and the IMF, and it came as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said talks on a cash-for-reforms deal were still far from reaching an agreement.

In Japan, the April preliminary indices of leading, coincident and lagging indicators are due at 1400 Tokyo time (0500 GMT).

USD/JPY changed hands at 124.38. up 0.02%

The coincident composite index reflects current business conditions and is expected to post the first rise in three months in April, up around 1.3 points after falling 1.5 points in March.

Then at 1500 (0600 GMT), we get the ESP Forecast Survey of economists on GDP, CPI to wrap up the day's events.

In Australia, the AI/HIA construction index rose 1.6 points to 47.8, remaining in contraction. AUD/USD traded at 0.7687, up 0.04%.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, rose 0.18% to 95.66.

Overnight, the dollar was steady against a basket of other major currencies on Thursday, after data showed that he number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. last week fell more than expected and investors eyed Friday's employment report.

The U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending May 30 declined by 8,000 to 276,000 from the previous week’s revised total of 284,000. Analysts had expected initial jobless claims to fall by 5,000 to 279,000 last week.

The report came after data on Wednesday showed that the U.S. private sector added 201,000 jobs last month, slightly ahead of expectations for 200,000 indicating that the recovery in the labor market is on track.

Investors were looking ahead to Friday's nonfarm payrolls report for further indications on the strength of the U.S. job market.