TOKYO, Aug 9 (Reuters) - The dollar hovered close to a one-week high against major rivals on Friday, after the biggest drop in U.S. jobless claims in close to a year allayed fears of a looming economic downturn. The U.S. currency extended gains against the Japanese yen to a fourth day, buoyed by a spike in Treasury yields following Thursday's...

TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar hovered close to a one-week high against major rivals on Friday, after the biggest drop in U.S. jobless claims in close to a year allayed fears of a looming economic downturn. The U.S. currency extended gains against the Japanese yen to a fourth day, buoyed by a spike in Treasury yields following Thursday's firmer-than-expected employment...

Aug 8 (Reuters) - The discount on Western Canada Select (WCS) heavy crude versus the North American benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) tightened on Thursday: * WCS for September delivery in Hardisty, Alberta, settled at $13.10 a barrel below WTI, according to brokerage CalRock, having settled at $13.35 a barrel under the U.S. benchmark on Wednesday. * It was the...

SYDNEY, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Asian shares are ending a rough week on a high as Japanese stocks are close to recouping all of the huge losses from Monday, while the yen slipped again as markets pared back the chance of an outsized U.S. rate cut. Japan's Nikkei rose another 1.7% on Friday, tracking a strong rebound on Wall Street...