Asian session: The yen touched the strongest in three weeks

00:30 Australia ANZ Job Advertisements (MoM) December -0.8% -0.7%

00:30 Australia Home Loans November +1.0% +1.1% +1.1%

The yen touched the strongest in three weeks after bearish bets slid to a six-week low and as investors weigh the outlook for a reduction in Federal Reserve monetary stimulus before policy makers speak this week.

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index dropped on Jan. 10 by the most in almost three months after U.S. jobs rose less than the most pessimistic projection in a Bloomberg News survey. A 74,000 increase in December payrolls lagged behind the 197,000 advance estimated by economists and compared with the most pessimistic forecast for 100,000. Labor Department figures showed last week that the unemployment rate declined to 6.7 percent, the lowest since October 2008, as more people left the workforce.

Japan’s currency rose against the euro, adding to a two-week advance, before data economists say will show Italian industrial output growth slowed. In Italy, industrial output growth slowed to 0.3 percent in November from 0.5 percent the prior month, a separate poll of economists shows before national statistics office Istat releases the figures today. The nation is the euro region’s biggest economy after Germany and France.

Australia’s dollar touched a one-month high against the greenback after home-loan growth exceeded expectations and before an employment report this week. Home loan approvals climbed 1.1 percent in November from the previous month, faster than the median forecast for a 1 percent increase, a report today showed. The nation’s statistics bureau may say on Jan. 16 that employers added 10,000 jobs last month after boosting positions by 21,000 in November, according to the Bloomberg median. The unemployment rate probably held at 5.8 percent, the survey showed.

EUR / USD: during the Asian session, the pair traded in the range of $ 1.3660-85

GBP / USD: during the Asian session, the pair rose to $ 1.6505

USD / JPY: on Asian session the pair fell to Y103.25