Dollar pushes towards 110 yen in Asia

TOKYO, Sept 29 (AFP) : The dollar rose Monday after data showed the US economy grew more than first thought in April-June, while it hit a six-month high against the Hong Kong dollar after weekend unrest in the southern Chinese city.
Analysts said the US unit would break the 110 yen threshold "sooner or later" as the US economy gets back on track.
The greenback bought 109.40 yen in Tokyo on Monday, up from 109.28 yen in New York.
The single European currency was trading at $1.2678, down from $1.2683 in US trade on Friday, and at 138.69 yen against 138.60 yen.
Traders moved into the dollar after the Commerce Department said the US economy grew 4.6 per cent in the second quarter, better than the previous 4.2 per cent estimate.
The figure represents a strong rebound from the first quarter's 2.1 per cent contraction, which was blamed in part on unusually severe winter weather that hit the country
With strong appetite for the dollar among investors, the greenback may break 110 yen before the release of US jobs data on Friday, Nomura Securities chief FX strategist Yunosuke Ikeda said in a morning note.
If the jobs data is positive, the pair may go up even higher, dealers said.
"The dollar remains bullish and looks certain to hit 110 yen sooner or later," Mitsushige Akino, chief fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment Management, told Dow Jones Newswires.
"If the headline jobs data comes in stronger than expected and Treasury rates rise, an overshoot of 110 yen is entirely possible."