After gaining for the past couple of sessions to open the New Year, the dollar is mostly softer today. The yen is the main exception. The greenback was bid above the JPY144 area where chunky options expire today. Most emerging market currencies are also firmer though there are a few exceptions in Asia, like the South Korean won and Thai baht. Still, the general tone is consolidative ahead of tomorrow US jobs data and the eurozone's CPI. Equities, which began the year on profit-taking, are stabilizing today, though it was not so apparent in Asia Pacific, were most of the large bourses fell, led by China's CSI 300 ... (full story)