* U.S. dollar bounces, while oil and gold fade

* Obama visits Asia with trade and currencies in focus

* Most Asian shares soft on U.S. consumer concerns (Repeats to more subscribers)

By Wayne Cole

SYDNEY, Nov 13 (Reuters) - A rare rally in the U.S. dollar was the focus in Asia on Friday as investors wondered if President Barack Obama's nine-day visit to the region would generate pressure on some countries to let their currencies rise.

The bounce in the long-suffering dollar added to profit-taking in commodities such as gold and oil, while weakness in shares across Asia supported the dollar as a safe-haven trade. Obama kicks off his first official tour of Asia by meeting Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Friday, then goes on to Singapore, China and South Korea. [ID:nOBAMASIA], High on the agenda will be U.S. calls for Asian countries to do more to stimulate domestic demand instead of relying on exports to America. That would likely require much of Asia, and China in particular, to let their currencies appreciate. But there's an inherent contradiction in the U.S. stance.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner often states his desire to see a strong dollar, yet at the same time wants Asian exporters to let their currencies gain ground against the dollar.

Leaders of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation seemed to give ground this week by backing undefined "market-oriented" exchange rates. Yet many of the same countries were spotted intervening to buy the dollar to stop a rise in their own currencies that could make their exports less competitive and impede their economic recovery.

Traders said this burst of buying caught many speculators short and was a major reason the U.S. dollar bounced so far.