The dollar stayed on the back foot on Friday and was on course for a weekly decline against a basket of currencies as traders wagered that the U.S. Federal Reserve was most likely done with rate increases, lifting risk sentiment.
South Korea's exports in October rose in annual terms for the first time in 13 months, as shipments to the United States were robust while the weakness in China demand eased slowly.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday the government will spend over 17 trillion yen ($113 billion) in a package of measures to cushion the economic blow from rising inflation, which will include tax cuts.
China's factory activity unexpectedly contracted in October, two surveys showed this week, renewing concerns over the state of the country's sprawling manufacturing sector and its fragile economic recovery at the start of the fourth quarter.
China's new "economic tsar" He Lifeng is emerging as one of President Xi Jinping's most powerful lieutenants, but some sources say he is yet to gain the standing of his predecessor in financial markets and the diplomat community.
U.S. manufacturing contracted sharply in October after showing signs of improvement in prior months as new orders and employment slumped, likely reflecting strikes by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union against Detroit's Big Three car makers.