The dollar was steady on Friday, heading for its strongest weekly performance since July on scaled back expectations of steep and early interest rate cuts this year ahead of closely watched U.S. payrolls data later in the day.

South Korea's government will put its focus on supporting people's livelihoods and managing risk factors, as it cut the country's 2024 GDP forecast and raised its inflation projection.

Japan's factory activity contracted at the steepest pace in 10 months in December as output and new orders slid on market uncertainty, a private-sector survey showed on Thursday.

China’s service sector grew past expectations in December, a private survey showed on Thursday, as continued stimulus measures helped push up local demand, while a rout in overseas orders also eased. 

U.S. manufacturing contracted further in December, though the pace of decline slowed amid a modest rebound in production and improvement in factory employment.

U.S. job openings fell to nearly a three-year low in November as the labor market gradually cools, which could pave the way for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates this year.