Dollar Falls Versus Yen in Asian Trading

The dollar was trading at 110.55 yen midafternoon in Tokyo, down from 110.82 yen late Friday in New York. The euro rose to US$1.4666 from US$1.4659.

"Stocks prices remain influential, and as the U.S. market Friday and Tokyo's today are relatively stable, currency players will likely stay on the sidelines this week," said Jun Kato, a senior trader at Shinkin Central Bank.

Other traders in Tokyo share that view, saying their focus is on U.S. personal spending data due out Nov. 30. They added that short-term speculators have begun leaving for the U.S. Thanksgiving break and a three-day weekend in Japan.

"Trading is very thin today, and major players in Tokyo are (Japanese) exporters and importers," said Yuji Saito, head of foreign exchange at Societe Generale.

Data on U.S. October's housing starts are due out Tuesday but the impact on the currency market may be limited since "we already know the housing industry is in bad shape," said Kato. "Rather, we will assess the status of U.S. private consumption by checking Thanksgiving and Christmas sales."

Against other currencies, the dollar was mixed. It rose 0.59 percent against the Indian rupee to 39.285, while falling 0.21 percent against the Indonesian rupiah to 9,300.