The WSJ Dollar Index, which tracks the dollar against a basket of 16 currencies, was down 0.2% on Friday.
The British pound, meanwhile, gained 0.2% against the dollar to $1.303, its second session of gains amid hopes for progress in Brexit negotiations.
"The Bank of England's statements on Thursday indicated that a Brexit transition deal with the EU could promise upside to its economic projections and make rate hikes likelier," Daniel Trum, a strategist at UBS, wrote in a note to clients. "Indeed, the U.K. economy would justify them already were it not for the Brexit uncertainty."
News from China also helped lift Asian markets, according to some analysts, after Mr. Xi met with Chinese business leaders this week. He pledged to reduce their tax burdens and offered financial support to private companies, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
Beyond the trade dispute, some market tensions have eased in recent days following a series of steady earnings announcements and renewed hope that the U.S. economy isn't on the verge of a downturn.
"The economic cycle is OK and the selloff in the equities market has meant the valuations are very reasonable," said William Dinning, head of investment strategy and communication at Waverton Investment Management.
"I don't think we have any sign of a recession in the U.S. -- there may be a bit of a slowdown," he added.
Investors were also positioning ahead of October employment data expected Friday, with many anticipating that the U.S. Federal Reserve will tighten monetary policy more quickly if inflationary pressures build.
A Wall Street Journal survey of economists forecast the Labor Department will report that 188,000 jobs were added over the month, while unemployment held at 3.7%.
Investors were watching the U.S. technology sector in particular after Apple posted mixed results following the closing bell on Thursday.
Geoff Yu, head of the U.K. Investment Office at UBS Wealth Management, said last month's selloff may have been caused by investment in technology groups ramping up particularly steeply in recent months.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield drifted up to 3.172%, compared with 3.144% on Thursday. Yields move inversely to prices.
In commodities, Brent crude, the global benchmark, gained 0.3% to $73.14 a barrel. Gold fell 0.1% to $1,237.20 an ounce.
The British pound, meanwhile, gained 0.2% against the dollar to $1.303, its second session of gains amid hopes for progress in Brexit negotiations.
"The Bank of England's statements on Thursday indicated that a Brexit transition deal with the EU could promise upside to its economic projections and make rate hikes likelier," Daniel Trum, a strategist at UBS, wrote in a note to clients. "Indeed, the U.K. economy would justify them already were it not for the Brexit uncertainty."
News from China also helped lift Asian markets, according to some analysts, after Mr. Xi met with Chinese business leaders this week. He pledged to reduce their tax burdens and offered financial support to private companies, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
Beyond the trade dispute, some market tensions have eased in recent days following a series of steady earnings announcements and renewed hope that the U.S. economy isn't on the verge of a downturn.
"The economic cycle is OK and the selloff in the equities market has meant the valuations are very reasonable," said William Dinning, head of investment strategy and communication at Waverton Investment Management.
"I don't think we have any sign of a recession in the U.S. -- there may be a bit of a slowdown," he added.
Investors were also positioning ahead of October employment data expected Friday, with many anticipating that the U.S. Federal Reserve will tighten monetary policy more quickly if inflationary pressures build.
A Wall Street Journal survey of economists forecast the Labor Department will report that 188,000 jobs were added over the month, while unemployment held at 3.7%.
Investors were watching the U.S. technology sector in particular after Apple posted mixed results following the closing bell on Thursday.
Geoff Yu, head of the U.K. Investment Office at UBS Wealth Management, said last month's selloff may have been caused by investment in technology groups ramping up particularly steeply in recent months.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield drifted up to 3.172%, compared with 3.144% on Thursday. Yields move inversely to prices.
In commodities, Brent crude, the global benchmark, gained 0.3% to $73.14 a barrel. Gold fell 0.1% to $1,237.20 an ounce.
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