• The dollar hit a six-week high against the yen on Thursday, after the U.S. Federal Reserve downplayed weak first-quarter economic growth and was seen as leaving the door open to raising interest rates in June.
The dollar rose to 112.89 yen earlier on Thursday, its strongest level in more than six weeks. It later pared those gains and last traded at 112.76 yen JPY=, little changed from late U.S. trade on Wednesday.
The euro edged up 0.1 percent to $1.0895 EUR=, regaining a bit of ground after falling 0.4 percent on Wednesday.
The euro has lost some steam after scaling a 5-1/2 month high of $1.0951 last week, when it rallied on relief over centrist Emmanuel Macron's victory against anti-euro nationalist Marine Le Pen in the first round of France's presidential elections. The runoff vote is on May 7.
• Growth in China's services sector cooled to its slowest in almost a year in April as fears of slower economic growth dented business confidence, even as cost pressures eased, a private survey showed on Thursday.
The Caixin/Markit services purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 51.5 from March's 52.2, the fourth monthly decline in a row and suggesting the sector grew at its weakest pace since May 2016.
• President Donald Trump's effort to roll back Obamacare gained momentum on Wednesday as Republican leaders scheduled a vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday on newly revised legislation.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy expressed confidence the bill would pass and several moderate Republican lawmakers who previously objected to the bill said they could now support it
• Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron clashed over their vision of France's future, the euro and ways of fighting terrorism in an ill-tempered televised debate on Wednesday before Sunday's run-off vote for the presidency.
The two went into the debate with opinion polls showing Macron, 39, with a strong lead of 20 percentage points over the National Front's Le Pen, 48, in what is widely seen as France's most important election in decades.
• Growth in Germany's services sector fell slightly but remained strong in April, a survey showed on Thursday, suggesting Europe's largest economy will post healthy growth in the first quarter.
Markit's final services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell to a two-month low of 55.4 from 55.6 in March but beat a flash estimate and remained well above the 50.0 mark that separates growth from contraction.
• Oil prices settled slightly higher on Wednesday after a choppy trading session as the market digested U.S. government data showing that while there were signs a crude glut may be receding, inventories remained large with gasoline demand weak.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 settled up 16 cents at $47.82 a barrel. Benchmark Brent crude LCOc1 was up 33 cents at $50.79.
Reference: Reuters
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