The U.S. dollar traded mixed against its major peers on Monday after the better-than-expected U.S. labor market data reported on Friday. The U.S. economy added 295,000 jobs in February, exceeding expectations for a rise of 241,000 jobs, after a gain of 239,000 jobs in January. January's figure was revised down from a rise of 257,000 jobs - the data fuelled expectations of a mid-year rate hike by the Federal Reserve.
Euro
The euro rebounded slightly after Friday's slump versus the greenback, but remained under pressure after ECB President Mario Draghi’s latest comments. Draghi said at the press conference on Thursday that the central bank will start its 60 billion euro-a-month bond purchases on March 9. He noted that the ECB will buy euro-dominated public sector securities in the secondary market, and it will also continue to purchase asset-backed securities and covered bonds.
The British pound
The Pound rose against the US dollar during the Asian session on Monday from the lowest level in four weeks, with the absence of important economic data.
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar declined and traded almost flat against the greenback currently quoted at USD0.7713. ANZ Job Advertisements (MoM) came in at +0.9% in February compared to +1.3% in January.
Japanese yen
The Japanese yen traded lower against the greenback on Monday, not far from Friday's three-month low of USD121.28 and close to a 7-1/2 year low hit in December. Data on the Japanese Eco Watchers Survey was reported. The Current Survey showed an increase from 45.6 to 50.1, beating an estimated increase to 46.7 points. -the Outlook came in at 53.2 in February coming from 50.0 in January