Asian session review: the US dollar rose against most currencies

During today's Asian trading, the US dollar consolidated against the euro, but rose against the yen, the Australian dollar and the New Zealand dollar.

Federal Reserve Board Governor Lael Brainard said yesterday that the US is approaching the regulator's concept of full employment and the target level of inflation, but the depth of the existing problems still requires the central bank to adhere to a soft monetary policy.

This week, traders expect the publication of data on the US unemployment rate in May. This information is likely to be crucial for the Fed as it develops a plan to scale back the stimulus measures that have supported the economy and markets for more than a year.

Meanwhile, retail sales in Germany in April decreased by 5.5% compared to the previous month, according to data from the Federal Statistical Agency. Analysts had expected a 2% decline.

The Australian dollar fell against the US dollar, despite strong statistical data. Australia's GDP in January-March increased by 1.8% in the quarter after rising by a revised 3.2% three months earlier, the country's Bureau of Statistics said. Australia's economy grew for the third consecutive quarter thanks to fiscal and monetary stimulus. Analysts on average predicted growth of 1.5%.

The ICE index, which tracks the dynamics of the dollar against six currencies (euro, swiss franc, yen, canadian dollar, pound sterling and swedish krona), rose by 0.20%.