Investing.com - The Aussie fell after mixed China trade data on Friday as imports came in lower than expected and weighed on the demand outlook from Australia's top trade partner.
AUD/USD fell 0.15% to 0.7880, while USD/JPY dipped 0.01% to 111.26.
China reported trade data for December with exports up 10.9%, compared to a gain of 9.1% seen, imports posted a 4.5% rise, compared to a 13.0% increase expected and the trade balance came in at $54.69 billion surplus, compared to surplus of $37 billion seen.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies,fell 0.11% to 91.56.
Overnight, the dollar fell against other currencies on Thursday after disappointing U.S. economic data.
The greenback was hit after reports showed that U.S. producer prices unexpectedly fell in December, the first drop in almost one-and-a-half years, while initial jobless claims unexpectedly rose last week.
The Labor Department reported that its producer price index slipped 0.1% last month, the first decline since August 2016.
A separate report showed that initial claims for unemployment benefits increased by 11,000 to 261,000 last week, the highest level since late September.
The euro strengthened after the minutes of the European Central Bank’s December meeting said officials could consider a gradual shift in policy guidance from early 2018.
Any changes to the bank’s guidance would likely be seen by investors as an indication that policymakers are preparing to start winding down their bond buying stimulus program.