CORRECTED-FOREX-Dollar up as focus shifts to economic re-starts from coronavirus lockdowns

(Corrects Britain's coronavirus death toll in final paragraph)
* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 https://tmsnrt.rs/2RBWI5E
* Dollar off to bright start in Asia
* Optimism and pessimism in tug-of-war
* Pound eyes gradual easing of coronavirus lockdown

By Stanley White
TOKYO, May 11 (Reuters) - The dollar rose on Monday as moves
by the United States and other countries to re-open their
economies raised hopes for a quicker global recovery from a deep
recession triggered by the coronavirus health crisis.
Sterling was little changed against the dollar and the euro
after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined plans to
slowly ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
Data on Friday showed the United States shed a 20.5 million
jobs in April, the steepest plunge in payrolls since the Great
Depression, but traders are starting to look past such grim
economic numbers as they bet on future growth. "The bad news about the U.S. labour market was pretty much
as expected, and people now assume that economic activity will
restart sooner rather than later in the United States and
Europe," said Tohru Sasaki, head of Japan markets research at
J.P. Morgan Securities in Tokyo.
"We don't have to be so bearish on the dollar."
The dollar rose 0.28% to 106.95 yen JPY=EBS on Monday in
Asia, and was steady at $1.0839 against the euro EUR=EBS .
The U.S. currency changed hands at 0.9712 Swiss franc
CHF=EBS .
The Australian dollar AUD=D3 , which is often traded as a
proxy for risk because of its close ties to China's economy and
global commodities, recovered from an early fall to trade at
$0.6538.
Across the Tasman Sea, the New Zealand dollar NZD=D3 held
steady against its U.S. counterpart at $0.6140.
California, Michigan, and Ohio, three important states for
U.S. manufacturing, are taking steps to allow factories and some
businesses to resume work in a boost to sentiment. Currency futures suggest the greenback could continue to
edge higher.
Speculators trimmed net short positions in the U.S. dollar
to $9.148 billion in the week ended May 5 from $10.23 billion
the previous week, according to calculations by Reuters and U.S.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission data released on Friday.
Some traders say uncertainty about the virus still poses
some downside risks for the dollar.
Vice President Mike Pence is not in quarantine and plans to
be at the White House on Monday, a spokesman said on Sunday,
despite media reports that Pence was self-isolating after a
staffer tested positive for the novel coronavirus. However, three senior officials guiding the U.S. response to
the pandemic have chosen to self-quarantine. The pound GBP=D3 was little changed at $1.2419 on Monday
in Asia. Against the euro EURGBP=D3 , sterling held steady at
87.32 pence.
Johnson, in a televised address on Sunday, announced a
limited easing of coronavirus restrictions that have shuttered
much of the economy for weeks, including encouraging some people
to return to work. The government wants the rest of the United Kingdom to take
the same approach, but there were immediate divisions, with the
leaders of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland saying they were
sticking with the existing "stay-at-home" message.
Johnson's government has faced criticism over its handling
of the pandemic. Britain's coronavirus death toll - 31,855 - is
the second highest in the world, behind the United States.