Dollar, safe-haven currencies buoyed by U.S. coronavirus anxiety

Some market players also said a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that a New York prosecutor can obtain President Donald Trump's financial records could have undermined risk sentiment and boosted dollar as he faces an uphill battle for re-election.

Trump has fought tenaciously to keep his tax returns and other elements of his finances secret. Many risk-sensitive currencies took a step back following their rally in recent weeks.

The Australian dollar stood at US$ 0.69605, off Thursday's one-month high of US$ 0.7001.

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Commodity currencies lost traction also as oil prices dipped on worries about the renewed lockdowns in some parts of the United States.

The yuan, which often tends to align with risk-sensitive currency groups, bucked the trend, supported by hopes of capital inflows as Chinese shares prices have surges after Beijing indicates it wants a healthy bull market.

The offshore yuan traded at 6.999 yuan per dollar, down about 0.03% in early Asian trade, having touched near-four-month high of 6.9808 on Thursday.