TOKYO (MarketWatch) -- The dollar slipped against most counterparts in Asian trading Thursday, as investors fretted about the outlook for the U.S. economy.
The dollar index (DXY 81.64, -0.54, -0.66%) , which tracks the greenback against a basket of major currencies, was at 81.91 from 82.139 in North American trade late Wednesday.
The dollar extended its loss versus the yen (USDYEN 87.0800, -0.2600, -0.2977%) to trade at ¥87.33, down from ¥87.35 Wednesday.
Earlier, it fell as low as ¥87.07.
"The only defined trend has been JPY [Japanese yen] outperformance," said Sue Trinh, senior currency strategist at Royal Bank of Canada.
The dollar "is teetering on a break back below 87.00 in line with the slump in U.S. Treasury 10-year yields," she said in emailed comments.
The euro (EURUSD 1.3075, +0.0090, +0.6931%) recovered to $1.3029, up from $1.2985 late Wednesday.
Against the yen, the euro (EURYEN 113.8800, +0.4400, +0.3879%) rose to ¥113.75, up from ¥113.44.
The British pound (GBPUSD 1.5642, +0.0053, +0.3400%) rose to $1.5629, from $1.5586 late Wednesday.
The dollar softened on Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve's Beige Book underscored the fragility of the U.S. economic recovery and durable-goods orders showed an unexpected June drop. See Wednesday's Currencies report.
