The dollar held firm against its peers on Thursday ahead of remarks by Federal Reserve Chair Powell as expectations grew that the U.S. central bank will keep rates higher for longer.

The greenback had the yen still hovering around Wednesday's two-week low, not far from the psychologically sensitive 150-mark.

The Australian dollar slid after domestic jobs data surprised to the downside, and the New Zealand dollar hit a near one-year low.

The dollar index , which measures the dollar against a basket of currencies, remained mostly flat during Asian trading hours, hanging around the previous day's high of 106.63.

The euro was steady at $1.0534 after coming under pressure from the greenback overnight, while sterling was edging closer to a two-week low at $1.21235.

The Japanese yen strengthened slightly to 149.8 per dollar, off Wednesday's two-week low of 149.94.

Elsewhere, the Australian dollar took a hit following domestic employment data, tumbling as low as $0.6296 versus the greenback. It last sat at $0.63015.

The kiwi was down 0.5% at $0.5825, hitting an 11-month low.

Source: Qatar News Agency