Forexpros – The number of building permits issued in the U.S. was unchanged in December, holding steady near the highest level since March 2010, official data showed on Thursday.

In a report, the U.S. Census Bureau said the number of building permits issued in December held steady at a seasonally adjusted 0.68 million in December, unchanged from November and in line with expectations.

The report also showed that U.S. housing starts fell unexpectedly in December, dropping by 4.1% to a seasonally adjusted 0.66 million. Analsyst had expected U.S. housing starts to remain unchanged at 0.69 million.

Following the release of the data, the U.S. dollar held on to losses against the euro, with EUR/USD gaining 0.43% to trade at 1.2920.

Meanwhile, U.S. stock future indices remained higher after the release of the data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a gain of 0.25%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.4%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures pointed to a rise of 0.5%.

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