TOKYO: The dollar eased in Asian trade on Tuesday while the euro was under pressure against the yen as weak eurozone manufacturing data raised concerns about the state of the bloc's economy.
The greenback slipped to 81.89 yen in Asian trade, compared with 82.28 yen in New York Monday.
The European single currency held steady against the dollar at $1.3335, it slipped to 109.22 yen after changing hands near the 111.00 yen level on Monday.
Traders sought the safety of the Japanese currency after weak eurozone manufacturing and unemployment figures underscoring the debt-riddled region's economic troubles, analysts said.
Manufacturing activity dropped to a three-month low in March, with the malaise spreading to top economies Germany and France, according to a closely watched purchasing managers index (PMI) released Monday.
Adding to the grim picture were figures showing eurozone unemployment at a 15-year high of 10.8 percent in February.
The news tempered sentiment, which had been given a lift at the weekend by news of an agreement to boost the eurozone's debt firewall.
The dollar was tamped down by lower Treasury yields, making the US unit relatively less attractive, analysts said, despite better-than-expected US manufacturing data.
In the near term, the dollar may test 80.00 yen and was tipped to drop further, said Kengo Suzuki, currency strategist at Mizuho Securities.
"Eighty yen will be an important mark, since it stands right between the February low of 76.02 yen and March's high of 84.18," he told Dow Jones Newswires.
"I think it's likely that the dollar/yen will fall below this mark," he added.
The dollar sank against most Asian currencies, falling to Sg$1.2511 from Sg$1.2553 on Monday, to 42.65 Philippine pesos from 42.82, and to 1,123.10 South Korean won from 1,127.78 won.
The dollar also eased to 30.78 Thai baht from 30.83 baht and to 9,143.00 Indonesian rupiah from 9,180.00 rupiah, while holding firm at Tw$29.47.
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