A fairly quiet Asia-Pac session for FX........>

FOREX: A fairly quiet Asia-Pac session for FX ahead of the US NFP Employment

data at 1330GMT. The main mover and shaker of the session was Aussie dollar

which weakened after a miss in November Trade Balance data. Trade Balance came

in at a deficit against an expected surplus, with the October figure also

revised to a deficit, a 1% rise in imports was attributed to the flip. AUD/USD

weakened to lows of 0.7843 before recovering heading into the European session,

last down 7 pips at 0.7856.

- Elsewhere the USD held near the lowest levels for 3-weeks in thin trade, DXY

last flat at 81.853. The weak USD saw some slight gains in EUR/USD and GDP/USD,

the latter up 11 pips at 1.3561 despite weak data early in the Asia session.

- USD/JPY is up 12 pips at 112.87. Reports hit the wires early in the session of

an earthquake in Japan, large incidents have anecdotally seen yen strength on

the expectation that insurers will repatriate funds, this was fairly small and

hit off Ibaraki. Later reports have posited that the warning system could have

mistaken two smaller quakes close together for one large incident and the

kneejerk lower was reversed.