The US dollar was steady against other major currencies in afternoon trading here, with players already having priced-in the greater chance of an increase in Japanese interest rates this week after the announcement in Tokyo this morning of firmer-than-expected economic data, dealers said. But trading was thin during the Asian session, with US markets closed today for a public holiday, dealers said. The dollar was at 120.24 yen, unchanged from its level in Sydney nearly four hours earlier. The euro was at 1.2932 usd, up from 1.2927 usd in Sydney. The Japanese government announced that core private-sector machinery orders were a seasonally adjusted 3.8 pct higher in November than in October, the market having expected a rise of 3.4 pct. Core private-sector machinery orders, which exclude volatile orders from electric utilities and for ships, are viewed as a leading indicator of corporate capital spending. Some analysts said these data had reinforced the opinion that the Bank of Japan will would raise interest rates when its policy board meets Wednesday and Thursday. "The window of opportunity is now open, as markets have already been cranked up for a 'pre-emptive' rate hike," said DBS Bank in a currency market note. "A 25 basis-point rise in the uncollateralized overnight call rate to 0.50 pct is on the cards this Thursday." But by the end of the Asian session, the dollar-yen and the euro-yen were not far from where they had started the day. As for the euro-dollar, UBS said in a market note: "Euro-dollar needs to get back above 1.2960 usd to prevent another push downwards at the start of this week." It added: "The 1.2820-30 usd zone looks to be the next key area of support."