The dollar moved narrowly around 115.90 yen in Tokyo trading Friday ahead of the release of U.S. employment data later in the day.

At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at 115.89-89 yen, nearly unchanged from 115.88-88 yen at the same time Thursday. The euro was at 1.1305-1305 dollars, up from 1.1287-1287 dollars, and at 131.01-02 yen, up from 130.81-81 yen.

A currency broker said that the dollar moved sideways against the yen and “did not show any noticeable reaction” to a slide in Japan’s benchmark Nikkei stock average following initial gains. “There was a strong wait-and-see mood ahead of the release of U.S. employment statistics,” the broker said.

Market players were also cautious ahead of the three-day weekend in Japan, another broker said. The country’s financial markets will be closed on Monday for a national holiday.

An official at a major Japanese bank said that market players were wary of December’s jobs figures jumping from a month before, after the release of strong U.S. employment data by Automatic Data Processing Inc. on Wednesday.

“The dollar may test its upside against the yen” if U.S. long-term interest rates climb following such an outcome, the official pointed out.

JIJI Press