By Harry Robertson and Ankur Banerjee

LONDON/SINGAPORE (Reuters) -The greenback held regular on Monday after ticking increased for a fifth straight week on the again of robust inflation information, whereas the yen traded close to the psychologically necessary 150 degree.

U.S. markets are closed for the Presidents’ Day vacation, with buying and selling volumes more likely to be low all through the day.

The , which tracks the foreign money towards six friends, was final little modified at 104.18, after rising 0.18% the earlier week.

It rose to its highest since mid-November final Tuesday at 104.97 after figures confirmed U.S. inflation got here in stronger than anticipated in January, inflicting traders to dial down the variety of rate of interest cuts they count on from the Federal Reserve this yr. However it slipped on Thursday after information confirmed retail gross sales fell final month.

“In principle final week ought to have been a superb week for the greenback, however the greenback didn’t actually maintain on to its good points,” mentioned Chris Turner, international head of markets at ING.

“Are we getting close to to the purpose the place the pricing within the Fed cycle is about proper?”

The euro was very barely increased at $1.0783, after falling to a three-month low of $1.0695 final week. Sterling was up 0.17% at $1.2621.

Survey-based buying managers’ index information, launched on Thursday, will give a way of the well being of the euro zone and UK economies in February.

The minutes from the Fed’s final assembly, due on Wednesday, are more likely to be the primary launch for traders this week.

Buyers count on round 90 foundation factors of Fed price cuts this yr, in response to cash market pricing, down sharply from round 145 foundation factors initially of February.

The greenback slipped 0.19% towards the yen on Monday, taking it to 149.94 yen.

It stays round 6% increased towards the yen this yr as Japan has stored its ultra-loose financial coverage in place, creating a large hole between the 2 nations’ bond yields which has boosted the attractiveness of the greenback.

The rally has prompted hypothesis amongst traders that the Japanese authorities might intervene to spice up their foreign money.

Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki final week warned that “fast strikes are undesirable for the financial system”.

Weekly information from the U.S. markets regulator confirmed speculators once more elevated their internet brief place towards the yen, taking it to a greater than two-month excessive value $9.2 billion.

China’s barely budged as traders returned from the week-long Lunar New 12 months break, regardless of tourism revenues surging in the course of the vacation. It final modified arms for round 7.1987 per greenback.

Elsewhere, the greenback fell 0.33% towards Sweden’s crown to 10.407 per greenback after information confirmed that headline Swedish inflation ticked increased in January.