NEW YORK: The dollar fell against major currencies on Thursday as data on US manufacturing pointed to a contraction in the sector last month.
Markets were also anticipating Friday’s release of official figures on August US job creation, which if strong could boost the chances of a US interest rate hike in the near term.
Toward 2100 GMT, the euro was at $1.1199, up from $1.1156 the day before, while the dollar stood at 103.23 yen, down from 103.43.
A pound was worth $1.3270, up from $1.3128.
The Institute for Supply Management reported Thursday that its purchasing managers index for the manufacturing sector read 49.4 for August, below the 50.0 line separating growth from contraction and down from 52.6 in July.
Ahead of this weekend’s Group of 20 summit in China, the International Monetary Fund also offered a downcast picture of US economic prospects, with economic researchers saying they expected to downgrade their 2016 US growth outlook next month.
2100 GMT Thursday Friday
EUR/USD 1.1199 1.1156
EUR/JPY 115.61 115.38
EUR/CHF 1.0975 1.0973
EUR/GBP 0.8440 0.8498
USD/JPY 103.23 103.43
USD/CHF 0.9800 0.9836
GBP/USD 1.3270 1.3128
