Asian session: The dollar rose against most major peers

00:30 Australia RBA Meeting's Minutes

03:05 Australia RBA Assist Gov Edey Speaks

The dollar rose against most major peers after BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s largest mining company, said China’s steel production is slowing, damping demand for currencies linked to Asian growth. The dollar was still 0.2 percent from a one-week low against the euro on speculation Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will repeat that a slow U.S. recovery warrants near-zero interest rates.

Australia’s dollar weakened as Rio Tinto Plc  also signaled that China’s near-term growth is waning, raising concern that commodity prices will fall. Reserve Bank of Australia policy makers noted that while downside risks “could still materialize, this seemed somewhat less likely than a few months ago,” according to the minutes of their March 6 meeting released today. “So long as inflation remained well contained, there would be ample scope for the bank to ease policy in such a scenario.”

Governor Glenn Stevens held the overnight cash rate at 4.25 percent for a second meeting this month.

New Zealand’s currency slid for the first time in four days as Asian stocks were poised for their biggest drop in more than a week.

GBP/USD: during the Asian session the pair receded from $1.5900.

USD/JPY: during the Asian session the pair traded in range Y83.35-Y83.50.

In the UK, at 0930GMT, inflation data is due. The January 2011 VAT hike clearly had a sharp upward effect on inflation that month, with

National Statistics' assessment that it added 0.76 percentage point to the 12 month CPI rate, and there is evidence some retailers staggered  some of the rise into February. US data starts at 1145GMT with the weekly ICSC-Goldman Store Sales data, which is followed at 1230GMT by Housing Starts and at 1255GMT by the weekly Johnson Redbook Chain Store Sales.