The euro has gained against the US dollar after European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi quelled talk of another interest rate cut for the eurozone.
Meanwhile the yen fell as the Bank of Japan held off from announcing any fresh measures to stimulate the economy.
At 2300 GMT on Thursday (1000 AEDT Friday), the euro was at $US1.3478, up from $US1.3435 late on Wednesday.
The US dollar rose to Y101.16 from Y100.03, while the euro pushed to Y136.34 from Y134.40.
Draghi’s comments halted a fall in the euro after reports that the ECB has decided to take one of its key rates, the deposit rate, into negative territory for the first time to help bolster growth.
“Let me be clear … don’t try to infer from what I say today anything on the possibility of negative rate on the deposit facility,” Draghi told a meeting of business leaders in the German capital.
“As I said in the last press conference, it was discussed in the last meeting and there are no news since then. No more news,” he insisted.
Meanwhile the Bank of Japan said the country’s economy is recovering “moderately”, and predicted a steady, gradual rise in consumer prices, an aim of its huge stimulus policy.
But the bank took no action in a two-day policy meeting that ended on Thursday despite a sharp slowdown in growth in the July-September quarter that raised questions about the strength of the country’s recovery.
The British pound picked up to $US1.6193 from $US1.6101, while the US dollar fell to 0.9132 Swiss francs from 0.9163 francs.