Investing.com - The U.S. dollar traded lower against most of its major rivals during Friday’s Asian session as traders await the July non-farm payrolls report from the U.S. Labor Department later Friday. In Asian trading Friday, EUR/USD inched up 0.02% to 1.3211. On Thursday, the euro came under pressure after ECB President Mario Draghi said that the central bank’s monetary policy will remain accommodative "for an extended period of time." The ECB held its benchmark interest rate at a record low 0.50% in August, in line with expectations. Elsewhere in Europe, London-based Markit said the euro zone's manufacturing PMI rose to 50.3 in July, from a reading of 50.1 the previous month. Analysts had expected the index to remain unchanged last month. USD/JPY fell 0.12% to 99.43 after the Bank of Japan said that Japan’s monetary base increased 38% last month following a 36% rise in June. Analysts expected a July increase of 43.2%. GBP/USD nudged down 0.01% to 1.5118 after the Bank of England earlier left interest rates unchanged at a record low 0.5% and left the size of its asset-purchasing program unchanged at GBP375 billion. USD/CHF rose 0.04% to 0.9371 while USD/CAD inched up 0.01% to 1.0348 as oil prices drifted slightly lower. In U.S. economic news out Thursday, the Institute for Supply Management said its July manufacturing index soared to 55.4% vs. 50.9% in June, good for the best reading since 2011. Economists expected a July reading of 52%. Readings above 50% indicate expansion. The Labor Department said initial claims for jobless benefits dropped by 19,000 last week to 326,000, the lowest level since January 2008. The less volatile four-week moving average dropped by 4,500 to 341,250. The Labor Department delivers the July jobs report Friday before U.S. markets open. AUD/USD added 0.04% to 0.8930 while NZD/USD gained 0.11% to 0.7902. The U.S. Dollar Index was flat at 82.42.

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