New york: The US dollar drifted on Thursday as investors fretted about the Federal Reserve's independence, which could influence the outlook for rates. The Japanese yen held onto gains made in previous sessions and was little changed at 147.41 per dollar, while the euro was steady at $1.1642. Sterling last fetched $1.34535.

According to Qatar News Agency, this left the dollar index, which measures the US currency against six other peers, steady at 98.301. In other currencies, the New Zealand dollar was nursing steep overnight losses at $0.58205 after diving 1.2% to its lowest level since April. The Australian dollar eased 0.13% to $0.64245, hovering near a two-week low.