Forex - Aussie gains in Asia despite weaker jobs data, dollar ebbs

Investing.com - Investing.com - The Aussie managed to edge up in Asia on Thursday along with the yen as dollar gains took a breather from recent sharp gains.

AUD/USD traded at 0.7482, up 0.04%, while USD/JPY changed hands at 108.70, down 0.35%.

In Australia, employment change figures showed a gain of 9,800 jobs, compared to a expected 20,000 increase, as related figures showed the unemployment rate at 5.6% as seen under a participation rate of 64.4%.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, eased 0.16% to 100.22.

Overnight, the dollar hovered near a 14-year high against the other majors currencies on Wednesday, as overall optimism over the U.S. economy and hopes for an upcoming U.S. rate hike continued to support the greenback.

The dollar weakened mildly after data showed that the U.S. producer price index rose 0.8% in October, disappointing expectations for an increase of 1.2%. The core PPI, which excludes food and energy, fell 0.2% last month, compared to expectations for a 0.2% gain.

A separate report showed that U.S. industrial production was flat in October, confounding expectations for a 0.2% increase.

But the greenback remained broadly supported by growing expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at its December policy meeting.

The U.S. dollar was also underpinned by hopes that increased fiscal spending and tax cuts under Donald Trump's administration will bolster economic growth and inflation.