TOKYO, July 1 (Reuters) - The dollar hit a fresh 15-month high versus the yen and hovered near multi-month peaks against other major peers on Thursday, ahead of a key U.S. jobs report that should offer clues on when the Federal Reserve will start to pare back stimulus.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s factory activity expanded at a softer pace in June, as the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the export province of Guangdong and supply chain woes drove output growth to the lowest in 15 months, a private survey showed on Thursday.

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese big manufacturers’ business confidence improved in the second quarter to hit a two-and-half-year high, a central bank survey showed, a sign solid global demand was helping the economy emerge from the coronavirus pandemic-induced doldrums.

BANGKOK, June 30 (Reuters) - As tourism-reliant Thailand struggles with a collapse in foreign visitors, the country's auto sector is picking up some of the slack with the value of car exports tipped to surge to a record this year as the global economy reopens.

TOKYO, June 30 (Reuters) - Oil prices on Wednesday extended the previous day's small gains after an industry report showed U.S. crude stockpiles fell last week, overriding trader and investor concerns about transportation curbs in some countries as COVID-19 cases surge.

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s industrial output posted the biggest monthly drop in a year in May, as a sharp fall in car production threatened to undermine the country’s economic recovery just weeks before Tokyo is set to host the Olympic Games.