The dollar maintained its firm stance on Monday, while the Japanese yen traded around five-month lows, as global currencies headed to the end of a year characterised by diverging central bank outlooks.
China's industrial profits fell at a slower clip in November, official data showed on Friday, but the annual decline in earnings this year is expected to be the worst in over two decades due to persistently soft domestic consumption.
The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits dipped to the lowest in a month last week, consistent with a cooling but still-healthy U.S. labor market that is likely to keep Federal Reserve officials from cutting interest rates any further in the near term.
Most Asian stocks were higher on Friday with Japanese shares surging after a stronger-than-expected Tokyo inflation reading, while South Korean shares slumped amid an ongoing political unrest in the country.
Oil prices rose slightly on Friday and were on track for a weekly rise, spurred by expectations economic stimulus efforts will prompt a recovery in China, while a stronger dollar capped gains.