The dollar steadied near a six-month high against the Japanese yen and held firm against its major peers on Thursday after the latest U.S. economic data reaffirmed expectations that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates two more times this year.
While financial markets remained vexed by risks of a full-scale Sino-U.S. trade war, investors' focus was drawn to the U.S. Labour Department's expectation-beating inflation report which boosted confidence in the world's top economy.
The dollar edged up 0.1 percent, trading at 112.07 yen after breaking through the 112-barrier for the first time since Jan. 10 in U.S. trade. The dollar had gained as much as 1.3 percent on Wednesday to 112.175 yen.
The dollar's index against a basket of six major currencies held firm near a one-week high of 94.769 reached overnight, trading at 94.725.
"The market is reacting to what is known," said Ayako Sera, market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank.
"The world economy is in a decent state and the U.S. economy is extremely strong, which means interest rates will continue to be raised. Investors are focussing on signs of the strength of the U.S. economy," she said.
U.S. producer prices rose in June, with gains in the cost of services and motor vehicles, leading to the biggest annual increase in 6-1/2 years.
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