Most of the Asian currencies retreated on Friday, coming under pressure from uncertainty over U.S. monetary policy following mixed economic readings this week.
The Chinese yuan traded at two-month lows after the worse-than-expected trade and inflation data released this week pointed to a slowing economic rebound in Asia’s largest economy.
Weakness in the Chinese economy dulled sentiment towards broader Asian markets.
The South Korean won fell 0.2%, while the Malaysian ringgit shed 0.3%, even as data showed that Malaysia’s economy grew more than expected in the first quarter.
The Australian dollar shed 0.1% but remained relatively underpinned by expectations of more interest rate hikes by the Reserve Bank.
The Japanese yen fell 0.1% and was set for mild weekly gains as fears of a U.S. banking crisis and uncertainty over the debt ceiling made for some safe-haven demand.