The dollar held broadly steady on Thursday as traders awaited a slew of business activity surveys to gauge the health of major economies and what that may mean for the global interest rate outlook.

New car sales in the European Union rose 12.1% year-on-year in January, helped by double-digit growth in Germany and Italy, data showed on Tuesday, with registrations of fully electric cars growing in annual terms but slumping from December.

British businesses are more optimistic this year about their profits and broader economic growth than they were last year, an annual survey by Boston Consulting Group showed on Wednesday.

Japanese manufacturers' business morale soured sharply in February with pessimists outnumbering optimists for the first time in 10 months, the Reuters Tankan survey found, adding to concerns about further economic decline.

Japan's exports rose more than expected in January, driven by U.S.-bound shipments of autos and car parts and Chinese demand for chip-making equipment, although the worsening factory sector mood added to concerns about broader economic weakness.

Asian stocks eased on Wednesday as diminishing expectations of early interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve sapped risk appetite, with investors looking to the minutes of the U.S. central bank's last meeting for clues on the policy outlook.