On Wednesday the yen was slightly weaker in Asia after trade data that showed weak exports. The dollar was almost unchanged after Tuesday's housing data.
USD/JPY traded at 119.90, up 0.04%, while AUD/USD changed hands at 0.7230, down 0.42%.
Data from Japan showed that imports fell 11.1% in September year-on-year, a bit better than the 11.7% drop seen, while exports rose 0.6%, disappointing the expectation of a 3.4% gain. The trade balance for September came in at a deficit of ¥115 billion, compared to a surplus of ¥84 billion expected.
In Australia, the Westpac-MI leading index rose 0.12 points to 97.60, in line with the Reserve Bank's forecast for growth to stay below trend. However, growth signaled by this index makes Westpac's forecast for 2016 look fragile, it said.
Elsewhere in the currency trading, the dollar was almost unchanged after data on Tuesday signaled the number of housing starts issued in the U.S. rose more than expected in September, while building permits fell more than forecast, providing a blurred picture of the economy.
The U.S. Commerce Department said yesterday that housing starts rose 6.5% to 1.206 million units last month from August’s total of 1.132 million units, while analysts had expected 1.140 million.
The number of building permits released dropped by 5.0% to 1.103 million units from August’s total of 1.170 million. Economists expected building permits to fall by 0.9% to 1.164 million units in July.
EUR/USD was last at 1.1351, up 0.05%.
