TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar steadied on Friday ahead of data from the United States that is expected to show an increase in job creation and a lower unemployment rate for March, highlighting a steady recovery from the pandemic in the world’s largest economy.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asia’s factories stepped up production in March as a solid recovery in global demand helped manufacturers move past the setbacks of the pandemic, although rising costs are creating new challenges for businesses in the region.

SINGAPORE/NEW YORK (Reuters) -Stocks crept higher on Thursday following their weakest quarter in a year, while higher Treasury yields supported the dollar, as investors parsed the details of a $2 trillion U.S. government spending plan and hoped for strong jobs data later in the week.

TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar held near a multi-month high against other major currencies on Thursday as investors bet fiscal stimulus and aggressive vaccinations will help the United States grow faster than other economies.

BEIJING(Reuters) - China’s factory activity in March expanded at the slowest pace in almost a year on softer overall domestic demand, but underlying economic conditions remained positive even as input and output inflationary pressures intensified for manufacturers.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Crude prices rose on Thursday, recouping some of the previous session’s losses on expectations that a meeting of OPEC and its allies later on Thursday would yield output constraint in the face of resurgent COVID-19 infections in some regions.