The U.S. dollar eased back from a 2-1/2-month high versus the yen on Friday and weakened toward its first weekly loss since January against major peers as traders tried to gauge the path for Federal Reserve policy.

Overall activity in the euro zone's manufacturing sector contracted again in February but output increased for the first time since May as supply chains continued to heal, a survey showed on Wednesday.

Former Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Masaaki Shirakawa called on policymakers to reconsider central banks' monetary framework based on inflation targets, given their limits that became apparent from the recent spike in prices seen in many countries.

Japan’s businesses continued to increase spending for five straight quarters despite headwinds including a global economic slowdown, an outcome that may nudge up last quarter’s economic growth figures.

China's job market was better than expected in January and February, and the country's employment will continue to pick up this year, Wang Xiaoping, the human resources minister, said on Thursday.

U.S. businesses operating in China are increasingly pessimistic about their prospects in the world's second-largest economy, according to a survey released Wednesday by the American Chamber of Commerce in China.