The dollar index and dollar index futures added nearly 0.1% apiece on Thursday, remaining close to six-week highs hit earlier this week

The dollar steadied on Thursday after overnight commentary from the U.S. central bank showed more policymakers open to interest rate hikes.

The hawkish outlook, coupled with continued uncertainty over the Iran war, spurred losses in Asian currencies. The Australian dollar was a major underperformer, especially after weak employment data from the country.

The yen was steady after strong trade and purchasing managers index data, while the Indian rupee hit new record lows.

The dollar index and dollar index futures added nearly 0.1% apiece on Thursday, remaining close to six-week highs hit earlier this week.

The minutes of the U.S. central bank’s late-April meeting showed an increasing number of officials considering interest rate hikes in the face of higher inflation.

A majority of central bank policymakers signalled openness to some policy firming if inflation remained steadily above the central bank’s 2% target, the minutes showed. The minutes pointed to an increasingly hawkish tilt in the central bank ahead of Kevin Warsh taking over as chair.

Mixed cues on the Iran war also aided the dollar, amid fears that a prolonged war will keep oil prices elevated long-term.

The Australian dollar’s AUD/USD pair slipped 0.5% on Thursday, pressured chiefly by softer-than-expected employment data for April.

Among other currencies, the yen’s USD/JPY pair steadied after the country logged a stronger-than-expected trade balance in April, aided chiefly by robust exports. But imports also surged, driven by semiconductor and electronics as Japanese companies built out more artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Japanese purchasing managers index data showed growth in both manufacturing and services in early-May.

The yuan’s USD/CNY pair was flat, while the Taiwan dollar’s USD/TWD and the won’s USD/KRW rose marginally. The Singapore dollar’s USD/SGD advanced 0.1%.