Investing.com - The dollar pointed weaker in early Asia on Thursday as U.S. Justice Department Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to take over the Russia investigation, according to a report.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was last quoted down 0.77% to 97.34. USD/JPY changed hands at 110.85, up 0.05%, while AUD/USD traded at 0.7436, up 0.08%.
Japan reports gross domestic product data for the first quarter with a provisional 0.4% gain seen quarter-on-quarter and 1.7% year-on-year. Ahead, Australia reports jobs data with an expected 5,000 jobs added in April for a steady unemployment rate of 5.9% and a participation rate of 64.7%.
Later, China will report house prices data for April.
Overnight, the dollar fell against a basket of major currencies on Wednesday, as political turmoil in Washington intensified, after a report that President Donald Trump attempted to influence an ongoing FBI investigation weighed on sentiment.
The New York Times reported late Tuesday, that Trump asked the then-FBI Director James Comey to shut down an investigation into the actions of former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn.
Although, The White House on Tuesday denied the report, and said that the president has “never” asked Comey to end any investigations, investors fled risk assets and poured into safe-havens amid the continued political saga in Washington.
The allegations that Trump tried to interfere with an ongoing FBI investigation, came a day after reports that Trump had shared sensitive information with Russia at a meeting last week.
The U.S. dollar lost ground against its yen counterpart, as investors flocked into safe-havens, which includes the yen.