By Miho Nakauchi Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES TOKYO (Dow Jones)--The dollar fell slightly against the yen and euro in Asia Monday as institutional players and speculators in the region locked in profits after the U.S. unit's rise to a more-than-one month high Friday. However, traders said the value of the dollar looks to be on the rise this week if upcoming U.S. data such as existing home sales show improvement, raising expectations of an end to ultra-low interest rates sooner than previously expected. "Asian institutional players as well as speculators are selling (the dollar) for profit-taking, but the impact is too small to be meaningful. The dollar's upward momentum is intact," said a trader at a major Tokyo bank. Resona Bank dealer Keiichi Iguchi echoed his view, saying "the outlook for the U.S. long-term yield has taken a favorable turn after the Federal Open Market Committee's (hawkish) statement last week," which has given players more confidence to buy the dollar. Yields on 10-year notes ended Friday at 3.53%; 10-year notes usually move inversely to their yields. Japanese exporters' selling for regular account settlements also weighed on the dollar, traders said. The U.S. unit stood at Y90.30 compared to Y90.37 late Friday in New York. The euro edged higher to $1.4352 compared to $1.4335. The Dollar Index, which tracks the U.S. unit against a trade-weighted basket of six currencies, was at 77.694, down from 77.758 Friday. Players are now focused on Tuesday's U.S. existing home sales and Thursday's durable goods order, both for November, to gauge whether the U.S. economy is on track for recovery. The U.S. unit may rise to Y92.00 this week, while the euro may decline to $1.4250, dealers said, if the forthcoming data come in stronger than expected. Economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires expect existing home sales to rise 3.3% in November compared with a 10.1% gain in the previous month. The euro was almost unchanged against the yen, exchanging hands at Y129.58 as of 0450 GMT compared to its New York level of Y129.57 Friday. Interbank Foreign Exchange Rates At 23:50 EDT / 0450 GMT Latest Previous %Chg Daily Daily %Chg Dollar Rates 2150 GMT High Low 12/31 USD/JPY Yen 90.29-33 90.30-36 -0.01 90.67 90.28 -0.34 EUR/USD Euro 1.4348-52 1.4300-06 +0.34 1.4359 1.4303 +2.65 GBP/USD Sterling 1.6149-51 1.6116-21 +0.20 1.6164 1.6118 +10.41 USD/CHF Swiss Franc 1.0414-19 1.0393-04 +0.20 1.0431 1.0388 -2.39 USD/CAD Canadian Dlr 1.0661-67 1.0662-68 -0.01 1.0682 1.0662 -12.36 AUD/USD Australian Dlr 0.8873-78 0.8906-10 -0.37 0.8911 0.8858 +25.45 NZD/USD New Zealand Dlr 0.7100-04 0.7106-13 -0.08 0.7116 0.7080 +21.68 EUR/JPY Yen 129.58-62 129.57-61 +0.01 129.83 129.47 +2.32 -By Miho Nakauchi, Dow Jones Newswires; 813-6269-2784; miho.nakauchi@dowjones.com

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