Investing.com - The Aussie ticked higher in Asia on Thursday after mixed jobs data in Australia hinted that more people were looking for work.
AUD/USD rose 0.09% to 0.7514, while USD/JPY changed hands at 114.69, up 0.03%.
In Australia, data for December showed 13,500 jobs added, beating a 10,000 gain forecast, while the participation rate ticked up to 64.7% from 64.6% and the unemployment rate also rose to 5.8% from 5.7%.
Fed Chair Janet Yellen said on late Wednesday she sees rate hikes "a few times a year" as the economy continues to recover until it reached the neutral rate which she expects by the end of 2019.
"As the economy approaches our objectives, it makes sense to gradually reduce the level of monetary policy support," Yellen said in a speech prepared for the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, adding "changes in monetary policy take time to work their way into the economy."
The dollar index, which measures it against a basket of six major peers, eased 0.04% to 101.27.
Overnight, the dollar posted strong gains today as forex traders purchased the greenback after five straight days of selling that put its value against a basket of major currencies at the lowest in more than a month.
The rebound followed a volatile Tuesday during which sterling rose more than 3 percent for its best showing against the dollar since at least 1998. Currency markets Wednesday reversed most of the previous day's moves.
The dollar had surged at the end of 2016 on expectations that fiscal stimulus proposed by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump would propel growth and inspire inflation and justify planned U.S. interest rate increases. But the greenback has slipped more than 2% during the last two weeks.