By Rae Wee

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -The dollar held steady on Thursday, on track for its best week in nearly a year, buoyed by a weak yen that has struggled on the back of a change of guard in Japan’s ruling party.

Markets this week have grappled with political turmoil in Japan and France alongside an ongoing U.S. government shutdown, all of which have done little to stoke confidence in investors, who have sought safety in assets such as gold.

The yen has been whiplashed after conservative Sanae Takaichi was picked as head of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, putting her on course to become the country’s first female prime minister and stoking bets of a revival in big spending and loose monetary policy.

The Japanese currency was last a touch stronger at 152.49 per dollar, after having slid

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