Dollar firm against euro, yen

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TOKYO: The dollar firmed against the euro and yen on Friday ahead of the April U.S. non-farm payrolls due later in the day that could support the greenback.

The dollar stood steady at 107.14 yen, having gained for three straight days to pull away from an 18-month low of 105.55 plumbed on Tuesday. The U.S. currency was en route to gain 0.6 percent versus the yen this week.

The yen, which jumped after the Bank of Japan opted to stand pat on monetary policy last week, had some of its gains trimmed after Japanese officials said they could act if needed to halt its rise. Investors, however, remain skeptical whether an intervention by Japan would have any lasting effect.

The euro, which had risen to an eight-month peak of $1.1616 on Tuesday, was effectively unchanged at $1.1405 EUR= after losing 0.8 percent overnight. Traders attributed the common currency's fall to covering of dollar short positions ahead of Friday's U.S. jobs data.

A Reuters survey showed economists expect U.S. payrolls rose by 202,000 in April after increasing by 215,000 in March.