Dollar strengthens

TOKYO: The dollar neared a 1-1/2-month high against the yen, as an improvement in investor risk appetite buoyed equities and pushed U.S. yields significantly higher.

The dollar was steady at 107.385 yen after gaining more than 0.5 percent overnight. A rise above 107.490 yen would take it to its highest since late February. The greenback has gained about 0.3 percent versus the yen this week. Equities were boosted as Wall Street gained on Thursday in anticipation of strong corporate earnings, and as geopolitical worries eased on U.S. President Donald Trump´s suggestion that a military strike on Syria may not be imminent.

The dollar had slipped against the yen, a perceived safe-haven, earlier in the week as U.S.-China trade tensions and the possibility of a U.S.-led missile strike on Syria roiled the broader financial markets.

"Some of the moves driven by risk aversion that lifted the yen are being unwound. But while risks facing the market may have softened, they have not gone away," said Shin Kadota, senior strategist at Barclays in Tokyo.