• The dollar edged up in Asian trading on Friday but was on track for a losing month against a basket of currencies, while the euro shed some of its monthly gains after the European Central Bank maintained its easing bias.
The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, edged up 0.1 percent to 99.205, but down 0.8 percent for the week and 1.1 percent for April.
The euro was down 0.1 percent at $1.0863, but up 1.3 percent for the week and 2 percent for the month.
• The U.S. economy likely hit a soft patch in the first quarter as an unseasonably warm winter and rising inflation weighed on consumer spending, in a potential setback to President Donald Trump's promise to boost growth.
Reduced business investment in inventories and government spending cuts also crimped gross domestic product growth. A Reuters survey of economists conducted last week forecast GDP rising at a 1.2 percent annual rate, but many economists lowered their estimates after the government on Thursday released advance reports on the goods trade deficit and inventories in March.
The Atlanta Federal Reserve is forecasting the economy growing at only a 0.2 percent rate in the first quarter, which would be the weakest performance in three years.
• U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters on Thursday he will either renegotiate or terminate what he called a "horrible" free trade deal with South Korea and said Seoul should pay for a U.S. anti-missile system that he priced at $1 billion (£774.83 million).
• In an exclusive interview with Reuters marking the upcoming th day of his administration, Trump said a major conflict with North Korea was possible, even though he would like to resolve things diplomatically.100
• U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will press the United Nations Security Council on Friday to further isolate North Korea by swiftly imposing stronger sanctions in the event of further provocations by the reclusive state, including a long-range missile launch or sixth nuclear test.
• China's navy has again sailed through the Miyako Strait that lies between two Japanese islands and carried out drills in the Western Pacific, state news agency Xinhua said.
The Chinese navy and air force have in recent months carried out a series of exercises in the Pacific, as they hone their ability to operate far from their home shores
• Oil prices rose on Friday but were still on track for a second straight weekly loss on concerns that an OPEC-led production cut has failed to significantly tighten an oversupplied market.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 was at $49.43 per barrel at 0649 GMT, up 46 cents, or 0.94 percent, from their last close. However, WTI is still set for a small weekly loss and is around 8 percent below its April peak.
Brent crude LCOc1 was at $51.91 per barrel, up 47 cents, or 0.91 percent. Brent is almost around 8.5 percent down from its April peak and is also on track for a second, albeit small, week of declines.
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