The dollar edged higher against other major currencies on Friday, as investors were awaiting the release of key U.S. employment data due later in the day following mixed economic reports on Thursday.
Sentiment on the greenback remained fragile following a mixed bag of U.S. economic data on Thursday, as initial jobless claims fell more than expected last week while factory orders eased in March.
Market participants were now looking ahead to the U.S. nonfarm payrolls report due later Friday, fir further indications on the strength of the job market.
EUR/USD slipped 0.20% to 1.0962, just off a six-month peak of 1.0990 hit overnight after polls declared that Emmanuel Macron won a TV presidential debate against Marine Le Pen late Wednesday, increasing the likelihood of a Macron victory at the runoff vote on Sunday.
GBP/USD added 0.11% to 1.2935, not far from the previous session’s one-week high of 1.2970.
USD/JPY fell 0.20% to 112.30, while USD/CHF edged up 0.19% to 0.9883.
The Australian dollar was weaker, with AUD/USD down 0.18% at 0.7396, while NZD/USD advanced 0.33% to trade at 0.6894.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand earlier reported that inflation expectations ticked up to 2.2% in the second quarter from 1.9% in the three months to March.
Meanwhile, USD/CAD eased up 0.10% to 1.3764, hovering just below a fresh 15-month peak of 1.3794.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was up 0.11% at 98.72, just off Thursday’s six-month trough of 98.56.
