By Herbert Lash
       NEW YORK, Aug 1 (Reuters) - The dollar advanced against
major currencies on Tuesday after relatively solid data on U.S.
manufacturing and construction in June offset a decline in job
openings last month to the lowest level in more than two years. 
    While an ISM survey offered a tough assessment of U.S.
manufacturing conditions, so-called hard data suggest the sector
is getting by. Federal Reserve data in June showed factory
production rebounded in the second quarter, ending two straight
quarterly declines.
    Meanwhile, U.S. construction spending increased solidly last
month and May's data was revised higher, boosted by outlays in
both single and multifamily housing projects, the Commerce
Department said. 
    In a third data set, the monthly Job Openings and Labor
Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report from the Labor Department,
remained consistent with tight labor market conditions despite
the Fed's hefty interest rate hikes to dampen demand.
    
    The dollar initially slid on the reports, but later
rebounded. 
    "The net between the slightly more positive ISM and the
slightly less favorable JOLTs numbers, you wind up in an
environment the market doesn't know what to do," said Steven
Ricchiuto, U.S. chief economist at Mizuho Securities USA LLC. 
    "The ISM numbers are really net neutral to slightly more
constructive, but the reality is the offset in the JOLTs numbers
with the continued high levels of openings in terms of what we
got in terms of the quit rate," he said. 
    Despite the labor market's resilience, workers showed less
appetite to seek greener pastures as resignations dropped by 
295,000. As a result, the quits rate, viewed as a measure of
labor market confidence, fell to 2.4% from 2.6% in May.
    The dollar index, a measure of the greenback against
six major currencies, rose 0.422% to a fresh three-week high. 
    Earlier, the Australian dollar fell sharply after the
Reserve Bank of Australia left cash rates unchanged and the yen
slid to a three-week low as tweaks by the Bank of Japan to its
yield curve control policy continued to weigh on the currency.
        The yen has swung wildly since Friday, when the BoJ
began what may be a slow shift from decades of massive monetary
stimulus. The central bank offered to buy 10-year Japanese
government bonds at 1.0% in fixed-rate operations instead of the
previous rate of 0.5%. 
        "When you look at all the major central banks, everyone
has a firm handle on what the Fed is doing, the ECB and BoE,"
said Ed Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York. "It's
Japan that is really where all the focus is going to shift."
  
        The adjustment to Japan's yield curve control policy is
going to be the focus for the rest of the year, he said.
  
        "Everyone is going to be watching all these key levels,
such as 1.45, and when will we really get that strong hawkish
signal from the BoJ?" Moya said.
  
        The yen 
    weakened 0.75%
     at 
    143.38
     per dollar.
  
    The Australian dollar was set for its sharpest
daily drop in a month after the central bank held rates at 4.1%
for a second month, saying past hikes were cooling demand but
more tightening might be needed to curb inflation.
    The Aussie fell 1.67% versus the U.S. dollar at $0.661,
wiping out a 0.87% gain in July and putting it on track for its 
biggest daily decline since early March.
    Private surveys showed that Asia's factory activity shrank
in July, as the region's fragile recovery takes a hit from
slowing global growth and weakness in China's economy.
    The euro fell 0.24% to $1.0967 as markets now price
in a pause in rate hikes by the European Central Bank. Euro zone
inflation fell further in July and the bloc returned to growth
in the second quarter with a greater-than-expected expansion.
    Sterling last traded at $1.2765, down 0.56% on the
day.  
    Money markets now see a 60% probability that the Bank of
England will hike rates by 25 basis points on Thursday.       
    
    Currency bid prices at 2:33 p.m. (1832 GMT)
 Description       RIC          Last        U.S. Close   Pct Change      YTD Pct        High Bid     Low Bid
                                             Previous                     Change                     
                                             Session                                                 
 Dollar index                   102.3100    101.8900     +0.42%          -1.140%        +102.4300    +101.8400
 Euro/Dollar                    $1.0969     $1.0997      -0.25%          +2.37%         +$1.1003     +$1.0952
 Dollar/Yen                     143.3800    142.2700     +0.78%          +9.36%         +143.5400    +142.2150
 Euro/Yen                       157.27      156.45       +0.52%          +12.10%        +157.4100    +156.4300
 Dollar/Swiss                   0.8759      0.8720       +0.45%          -5.28%         +0.8777      +0.8715
 Sterling/Dollar                $1.2765     $1.2835      -0.54%          +5.56%         +$1.2840     +$1.2742
 Dollar/Canadian                1.3287      1.3189       +0.74%          -1.93%         +1.3300      +1.3188
 Aussie/Dollar                  $0.6608     $0.6719      -1.63%          -3.04%         +$0.6723     +$0.6603
 Euro/Swiss                     0.9606      0.9587       +0.20%          -2.92%         +0.9624      +0.9578
 Euro/Sterling                  0.8592      0.8565       +0.32%          -2.85%         +0.8606      +0.8551
 NZ Dollar/Dollar               $0.6139     $0.6210      -1.15%          -3.32%         +$0.6217     +$0.6132
 Dollar/Norway                  10.2230     10.0950      +1.23%          +4.13%         +10.2480     +10.1370
 Euro/Norway                    11.2164     11.1382      +0.70%          +6.89%         +11.2320     +11.1271
 Dollar/Sweden                  10.6132     10.5178      +0.61%          +1.97%         +10.6422     +10.5190
 Euro/Sweden                    11.6409     11.5702      +0.61%          +4.41%         +11.6580     +11.5685
 

    
 (Reporting by Herbert Lash; Additional eporting by Joice Alves
in London and Ankur Banerjee in Singapore; Editing by Alex
Richardson, Hugh Lawson and Alexander Smith)