SINGAPORE--The Singapore dollar edged lower against the U.S. dollar late Thursday amid signs of improvement in the U.S. economy that helped the U.S. currency gain against most of its counterparts.
The U.S. dollar was quoted at S$1.2548 near the close of the Asian session, compared with S$1.2523 around the same time Wednesday.
The release of encouraging U.S. economic data overnight, including surprisingly good weekly jobs figures, helped the dollar rise against most currencies, including the Japanese yen, against which it hit a near six-month high Thursday.
Singapore government bonds fell, mirroring moves by U.S. Treasurys, as the stronger economic data reduced their safe-haven lure. Yield on the benchmark 10-year Singapore government bond rose 4 basis points to 2.35% while that on the two-year bond were up by a hundredth of a percentage point to 0.35%. Bond yields move inversely to prices.
