A poll by Dow Jones predicted mat durable goods orders in February would

The dollar dropped against the yen Thursday in Asia as overnight U.S. data added to the gloomy outlook for the American economy. The dollar was trading at 98.98 yen mid afternoon in Tokyo, down from 100 yen late Wednesday in New York. The euro stood at US$1.5807, down from US$1.5815. On Wednesday, Washington released data showing that durable goods orders fell 1.7 percent in February, much lower than the consensus of a 0.8 percent gain polled by Dow Jones. The market is now waiting for U.S. weekly jobless claims data and final gross domestic product figures for the fourth quarter—both set for release later in the day. If the results are worse than expected, even slightly, another round of dollar-selling is like to start, said Hiroshi Yoshida, a senior dealer at Shinkin Central Bank. "The market is hungry for dollar-selling factors," he said.