Dollar flat to slightly lower

NEW YORK: The dollar was little changed to slightly lower, sliding from a three-month high earlier on Friday, weighed down by some of the weaker details of what was an overall strong US nonfarm payrolls report for June.

Volume is expected to thin out later in the session ahead of the July Fourth holiday weekend.

Despite a soft dollar on Friday, it was still poised to end the week on a positive note, with an 0.8% gain. Going into the report, the dollar traded higher on the expectation of a robust jobs number.

Data showed that US nonfarm payrolls did beat expectations, increasing by 850,000 jobs last month after rising 583,000 in May.

In late morning trading, the dollar index was slightly lower at 92.517, after earlier hitting a three-month high of 92.759.

The dollar trimmed losses after data showed US factory orders surged 1.7% in May after slipping 0.1% in April. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast factory orders rebounding 1.6%. Orders increased 17.2% on a year-on-year basis.

The euro was down 0.2% on the day at $1.1832.

Against the yen, the dollar slid 0.2% to 111.305 yen. On Thursday, the greenback hit a 15-month peak versus the Japanese currency.

Despite the fall, TD Securities, said in a research note that the dollar is not looking at the start of a significant correction.—Reuters