NEW YORK CITY: The dollar Monday strengthened against other major currencies as investors geared up for a much-anticipated report on US employment.
Near 2100 GMT, the euro traded at $1.3681, down slightly from $1.3682 Friday.
The dollar advanced to 98.15 yen from 97.72 of the Japanese currency.
The euro also rose against the yen, trading at 134.26 compared with 133.75.
Equity markets were nearly flat as investors took a breather from last week's drama, when a last-minute US budget deal averted a US default and ended a 16-day partial government shutdown.
The US Labor Department Tuesday will release the September jobs report, which was delayed due to the US shutdown.
Investors have seen the monthly report as a key gauge on whether the US Federal Reserve is likely to scale back its bond-buying program.
A better-than-expected report could "depict the door as ajar to a Fed taper this year and support the greenback," said Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Western Union Business Solutions.
But Kathy Lien, managing director at BK Asset Management, said investors are likely to react cautiously to a very strong report because of concerns the period predates the recent shutdown, which may have depressed hiring.
But if September job growth misses expectations, "the dollar could be in even more trouble because October payrolls are expected to be much weaker," said Lien.
Among other currencies, the British pound fell to $1.6146 from $1.6174.
The dollar rose to 0.9019 Swiss franc from 0.9015.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.