AUSSIE DROPS, KIWI HIGHER AFTER DATA

The Australian dollar fell on Thursday in Asia after downbeat capital spending data for private new capital.

The New Zealand dollar was supported after trade data.

AUD/USD traded at 0.7232, down 0.28%, while USD/JPY traded at 122.60, 0.12% lower.

In Australia, capital expenditure data for the third quarter with private new capital expenditure dropped 9.2%, compared to a 3.0% drop seen.

NZD/USD reversed the decline after data to trade at 0.6592, up 0.19%.

In New Zealand, the trade balance for October showed a deficit of NZ$963 million month-on-month and NZ$3.24 billion year-on-year, both slightly better than expected.

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AUSSIE SURGES ON HIGHLY ROBUST JOBS DATA; YEN SLIGHTLY LOWER

The Aussie jumped in Asia on Thursday after data showed a huge rise in jobs last month. The yen was slightly weaker after mixed data.

AUD/USD traded at 0.7141, up 1.13%.

In Australia, employment data showed a whopping gain of 58,600 jobs in October compared with a gain of 15,000 jobs seen, dropping the unemployment rate to 5.9% from 6.2% in a participation rate of 65%, higher than the 64.9% expected.

Australia's S&P ASX was 0.02% higher, while China's Shanghai Composite gauge lost 0.43%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged 2.12%.

In Japan, the corporate goods price gauge dipped 3.8% for October, compared with a fall of 3.5% seen year-on-year, as well as core machinery orders for September fell 1.7%, less than the decline of 4.0% seen year-on-year.

USD/JPY was last at 122.95, up 0.07%.

Earlier in the session, the greenback was edging lower, tracking the overnight selling pressure with investors locking in profits on the currency’s recent gains. But a late-morning rise in the Nikkei Stock Average, albeit at only a moderate pace, helped brighten the mood, prompting yen selling. The Nikkei 225 closed up 0.03%.

Elsewhere in the currency trading, the euro rose against the greenback on short covering after a mixture of hawkish and dovish comments related to possible monetary-policy decisions at the European Central Bank’s Dec. 3 meeting.

ECB governing council member Ardo Hansson said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal there was no necessity currently for the ECB to slash its policy rates, including the deposit rate.

EUR/USD was last at 1.0753, up 0.08%.

The euro rose against the pound with EUR/GBP last seen at 0.7070, up 0.13%.

Market players are becoming more convinced that the U.S. Federal Reserve will increase short-term rates in December. However, as analysts admit, they still aren’t fully confident about the U.S. central bank’s timetable.

Investors are looking to see if Fed officials including Chairwoman Janet Yellen later Thursday will offer any hints about the central bank’s plans for its December policy-setting meeting.

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AUSSIE LOWER AFTER DOWNBEAT NAB SURVEY

The Aussie was slightly lower on Thursday after a downbeat business confidence survey.

AUD/USD traded at 0.7208, down 0.03%.

In Australia, the NAB quarterly business confidence survey dropped to flat from plus-4 in the previous quarter, while conditions increased to plus-11 from plus-5.

USD/JPY was last at 119.74, down 0.15%.

Overnight, the dollar moved slightly higher against the other major currencies, as the previous session's U.S. housing sector data continued to lend support. Trading was expected to remain subdued with no major U.S. data out thoughout the day.

The greenback strengthened mildly after the U.S. Commerce Department reported on Tuesday that housing starts climbed 6.5% to 1.206 million units last month from August’s total of 1.132 million units. The report also showed that the number of building permits issued dropped by 5.0% to 1.103 million units from August’s total of 1.170 million.

Market players were awaiting the weekly report on U.S. jobless claims due later in the day after a batch of mixed U.S. economic reports spurred fresh uncertainty over the timing of a U.S. rate increase.

Meanwhile, sentiment on the single currency slightly weakened ahead of the European Central Bank's monthly monetary policy decision, expected later Thursday.

The ECB was expected to keep its monetary policy unchanged but could flag plans to enlarge its stimulus program.

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AUSSIE HIGHER AS UNEMPLOYMENT IN AUSTRALIA FALLS

The Australian dollar gained on Thursday as official data signaled a fall in unemployment, though jobs data was weaker than expected.

AUD/USD traded at 0.7341, up 0.56%, while USD/JPY was last at 118.73, down 0.09%.

The New Zealand dollar jumped against its U.S. counterpart with NZD/USD last seen at 0.6850, up 0.88%.

In Australia, job slots fell by 5,100 in September, compared to expectations for a gain of 5,000. But the overall unemployment rate dropped to 6.2%, compared to an expected 6.3%, as the participation rate slid to 64.9% from 65%.

Earlier, the latest MI inflation expectations climbed to 3.5% from 3.2%.

Overnight, the dollar remained broadly lower against the other major currencies on Wednesday, after the release of disappointing U.S. retail sales and producer price inflation data dampened optimism over the strength of the economy.

On Wednesday the U.S. Commerce Department said in a report that retail sales climbed by just 0.1% last month, below estimates of a gain of 0.2%.

Core retail sales, which exclude automobile sales, dipped by 0.3% in September, worse than forecasts for a fall of 0.1%.

Data also showed that producer price inflation in the U.S. fell for the first time in five months in September.

Producer prices declined by 0.5% last month, worse than forecasts for a drop of 0.2%, while core PPI dipped by 0.3%, disappointing forecasts for a gain of 0.1%

In the euro area, data on Thursday showed that industrial production fell 0.5% in August after an upwardly revised 0.8% increase in July.

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KIWI RISES VS GREENBACK WHILE AUSSIE STEADY NEAR 2-WEEK LOWS

On Thursday the New Zealand dollar rose against its U.S. counterpart, despite the release of downbeat New Zealand trade balance numbers, while its Australian counterpart was steady near two and half week lows.

NZD/USD hit 0.6308 during late Asian trade, the session high; the pair subsequently consolidated at 0.6288.

Earlier Thursday, Statistics New Zealand reported that the country's trade deficit expanded to NZ$1,035 million in August from NZ$649 million the previous month. Analysts had expected the trade deficit to widen to NZ$850 million last month.

Elsewhere, AUD/USD hit 0.6992 during late Asian trade, the session low; the pair settled at 0.6983.

The U.S. dollar had strengthened after comments by some Federal Reserve officials Monday night signaled that a U.S. rate increase is still on the cards this year.

In separate comments, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard and Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart signaled that the Fed rate increase is not off the table this year.

Investors were now awaiting a speech by Fed Chair Janet Yellen later in the day for additional clarity on the bank’s decision last week to leave interest rates on hold.

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