Tokyo, July 02 (QNA) - The dollar held steady on Thursday as markets awaited key ​US non-farm payrolls data, while the yen's slide to 40-year lows against the greenback.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, eased 0.02% to 101.38.

The euro traded at $1.138 against the US dollar while sterling ​edged 0.06% higher to $1.3279.

Overnight, the yen sank to 162.84 yen against the dollar, hitting a 40-year low and well above levels that prompted Japanese authorities to intervene a few weeks ago. In early trading, it was little changed at 162.50 per dollar.

The Australian dollar lost 0.09% versus the greenback to $0.6885, while New Zealand's ​kiwi traded at $0.5672. (QNA)