Investing.com - The yen held weaker on Friday in early Asia as the Bank of Japan gets set to release it latest policy views.
USD/JPY changed hands at 110.07, up 0.13%, while AUD/USD traded at 0.7596, up 0.21%. GBP/USD rose 0.11% to 1.2711.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, eased 0.05% to 97.45.
Later in Asia, the Bank of Japan is expected to affirm efforts to buy assets at ¥80 trillion annually.
"The overarching question is not so much what else the BoJ may do, as it is what’s left for the BoJ to exploit in the toolbox, and the triggers to act," Mizuho said in a note to clients on Friday ahead of the announcement.
"On one hand, Governor Kuroda is acutely aware and has been articulating that inflation is a long way off the 2% target and lacks “escape velocity” as it. On the other, he has been under pressure from lawmakers to account for the record size of the BoJ’s balance sheet – now around JPY500 trln (~99% of GDP); which corresponds to increasing costs of stimulus."
"Bridging the gap is an exercise in delicate balance – much ado about nothing much may be the optimal state of play. And if this reticence is construed as dovish accommodation, USD/JPY may be poised to extend gains above 111 as markets digest a hawkish Fed.
Overnight, the dollar remained close to two-week highs against a basket of global currencies on Thursday, buoyed by a trio of upbeat economic reports lifting sentiment on the prospect of stronger U.S. economic growth.
A day after the Federal Reserve increased interests rate for the second time this year, signalling confidence in the U.S. economy, initial jobless claims and manufacturing data exceeded forecasts helping the dollar tack on gains against its peers.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that initial jobless claims decreased by 5,000 to 237,000 in the week ended June 4, beating forecasts of a 3,000 decline.
On the manufacturing front, investors cheered a pair of upbeat economic reports on manufacturing activity in the states of New York and Philadelphia.
The Philly Fed said its index for current manufacturing activity in the region decreased to 27.6 in June from 38.8 in May. Analysts had expected a reading of 24.
Whereas, in New York, the Empire State manufacturing index climbed to 19.8, after falling to minus-1 in May.
The upbeat economic reports lifted expectations of an additional rate hike this year, after the Federal Reserve on Wednesday maintained its outlook of a total of three rates for 2017.
Sterling was one of the few currencies that shrugged of a surge in the dollar, with GBP/USD up as the Bank of England kept rates unchanged but stoked expectations of a future rate hike, revealing that an increasing number of its members favoured higher rates.