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The yen was near its weakest in almost six years versus the dollar as Japanese reports showing a slump in business spending and a shrinking current-account surplus added to signs the economy is losing momentum.

The pound slid to its lowest since November against the dollar after a poll showed the campaign for Scottish independence leading opponents for the first time this year, stoking concern the 307-year union forming the U.K. will splinter after the Sept. 18 vote. The offshore yuan climbed to an almost six-month high after a report showed China's trade surplus rose to a record and export growth beat estimates.

"The collapse of Japan's previously large current-account surplus is the main medium-term driver behind a weaker yen," said Joseph Capurso, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney. "The larger fall in business spending is particularly disappointing."

The yen was little changed at 105.10 per dollar at 9:12 a.m. in London after depreciating to 105.71 on Sept. 5, the weakest level since October 2008. Japan's currency traded at 136.01 per euro. The dollar was little changed at $1.2944 per euro.

Japan's Cabinet Office said annualized gross domestic product shrank 7.1 percent in the second quarter, compared with the forecast of 7 percent in a Bloomberg survey. Business spending slid 5.1 percent and the adjusted current-account balance narrowed to 99.3 billion yen ($945 million) in July from 125.6 billion yen the previous month.

Yen's Decline

The yen has declined 1.3 percent in the past month, according to Bloomberg Correlation-Weighted Indexes that track 10 developed nation currencies. The euro has dropped 2 percent in the period, while the dollar strengthened 2 percent.

If Japan's economy continues to be weak in the July- September quarter, "that would raise expectations for additional easing by the Bank of Japan and curb demand for the yen," said Daisaku Ueno, the Tokyo-based chief currency strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. "While the gain in U.S. nonfarm payrolls was below the market's forecast, one month's data isn't enough to deter the Fed from normalizing policy."

U.S. Labor Department data last week showed employers added 142,000 workers in August, the least this year. That was below the lowest estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of 10 leading global currencies, rose 0.2 percent to 1,039.54 after reaching 1,041.58 on Sept. 5, the highest since July 2013.

Pound Plunges

By Bloomberg

Sterling slid after a poll by YouGov Plc showed the Scottish independence campaign gained a lead for the first time this year before the Sept. 18 vote .

A "Yes" vote would raise the prospect of a more cautious approach from the Bank of England, which this month kept its key interest rate at a record-low after persistent weakness in inflation and wage growth reinforced the case for maintaining emergency stimulus.

The pound declined 1 percent to $1.6173 after falling to $1.6165, the weakest since Nov. 26. The decline is the biggest since July 2013.

"The pound is being sold on a knee-jerk reaction after the opinion polls," said Kumiko Ishikawa, a currency analyst at Gaitame.com Research Institute Ltd. in Tokyo. "If Scotland were to leave the U.K., that would add confusion to the union's economy and raise the bar for BOE's policy tightening."

The offshore yuan climbed as a report showed China's trade excess rose to $49.84 billion in August from July's $47.30 billion. Exports expanded 9.4 percent, beating the 9 percent median forecast in a Bloomberg survey,

The currency added 0.1 percent to 6.1350 per dollar, data compiled by Bloomberg show. It earlier advanced to 6.1338, the strongest level since March 14. China's onshore financial markets are closed for a public holiday today.