VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Japan's August core machinery orders due next week are expected to rise modestly for a third straight month, a Reuters poll found - doing little to ease fears that the government's growth-promotion policies aren't working fast enough.

The dollar rose above 110 yen for the first time in six years and held near a two-year peak against the euro on Wednesday, as investors added to bets that U.S. data will drive the Federal Reserve to tighten policy.

The dollar rose to new multi-year highs against the yen, euro and a basket of currencies on Monday, a three-month-old rally showing no signs of dissipating before a week of important economic set pieces.

The dollar held near a four-year high against a basket of currencies on Friday, fueled by the biggest yield advantage over the euro in nearly 15 years as the Federal Reserve contemplates hiking interest rates.

Japan's legions of retail foreign-exchange traders, popularly known as Mrs Watanabe, are turning into sellers of yen.

Asian stocks slipped on Thursday, giving back earlier gains as initial cheer from a rebound on Wall Street fizzled out, while the New Zealand dollar hit a one-year low when the central bank governor decried the currency's recent strength.

Asian stocks rose early on Thursday, cheered by a sizeable overnight rebound on Wall Street, while the dollar resumed its advance after upbeat economic data undercut safe-haven bids and pushed yields higher.

The yen rose on Wednesday after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe voiced concern about the economic impact of its fall to a six-year low, adding to the sense of a halt this week in the dollar's record-breaking run since July.

Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) on Tuesday said it plans to buy the remaining 60.5 percent share of Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd (2712.T) that it does not already own in a two-step deal valued at about $913.5 million.

The Bank of Japan bought one-year government bills at negative yields in market operations on Friday, traders said, setting a new milestone as it pushes its aggressive asset purchase scheme.

Brent crude fell below $97 per barrel on Monday, its lowest level in more than two years, as weak Chinese economic data cut the prospect for demand at a time of abundant supply, while expectations that the Federal Reserve will provide new details this week about its plans to raise interest rates lifted the dollar.

The U.S. dollar headed for its ninth straight week of gains on Friday, some measure of how the economic fortunes of the United States and its major economic peers are diverging after six years of financial turmoil.

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday, helped by a rebound in Apple shares, while expectations for a stronger economy and thus higher interest rates from the Federal Reserve boosted the dollar to a six-year high against the yen.

A robust dollar swept to a 14-month high on Tuesday as investors tweaked bets on an early hike in U.S. interest rates, burdening oil, gold and stocks in the energy majors. As the dollar broke to a six-year peak on the yen and a 14-month top against the euro, gold sagged to a three-month trough and Brent oil settled below the $100 a barrel mark.

Japan's Nikkei share average ended at a seven-month high on Tuesday in active trade as the yen slipped to a seven-month low against the dollar, sending exporters higher on hopes of a boost to earnings.