Dollar slips against dong, remains stable against major peers

Vietcombank sold the dollar at VND24,700, down 0.2% from Thursday.

The greenback was steady at VND25,065 at unofficial exchange points.

The State Bank of Vietnam lowered its reference rate by 0.08% to VND24,148.

The dollar has risen against the dong by 1.15% since the beginning of the year.

Globally, the yen pared its losses on Friday as the Bank of Japan (BOJ) sounded optimistic about growth and signalled it will be judicious about further policy tightening, while the dollar had its own problems as markets priced in more rapid U.S. rate cuts, Reuters reported.

The U.S. dollar index, a gauge of its value against six major peers, was stuck at 100.69 and just above a one-year low.

The dollar was flat at 142.45 yen, and well off an overnight high of 143.95, as the BOJ did as widely expected, keeping unchanged its overnight call rate target at 0.25% by a unanimous vote.

The euro also firmed to $1.1160, up 0.8% for the week and within striking distance of the August peak of $1.1201. A break there would target a July 2023 top of $1.1275.