Tokyo - The dollar held steady in Asia on Monday after soaring on a strong US jobs report that sparked talk the Federal Reserve would move more quickly to raise interest rates.
The greenback bought 125.40 yen, slightly down from 125.56 yen late Friday in New York where the US unit climbed briefly to a 13-year high of 125.86 yen.
But the dollar was still up from 124.45 yen in Tokyo on Friday before the US jobs data.
The strong figures came after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said last month the plan to raise interest rates this year was on track.
But the yen got a slight boost Monday morning as fresh data showed Japan's economy grew 1.0 percent in January-March - or 3.9 percent at an annualised rate - sharply up from an initial estimate of 0.6 percent growth.
That weakened the case for more Bank of Japan monetary easing, which would tend to push down the yen.
In other trading, the euro weakened to $1.1101 and 139.25 yen from $1.1115 and 139.56 yen in US trade on Friday as investors watched for any sign of progress in Greek debt talks.
“The dollar's strength inevitably weakens the euro,” Daisuke Karakama, chief market economist at Mizuho Bank, told Bloomberg News.
AFP