Forex Pros – The U.S. dollar was mixed against its major counterparts on Thursday, as the euro zone remained in focus, following the resignation of Portugal’s prime minister ahead of a two-day European Union summit.
During European morning trade, the greenback was slightly lower against the euro, with EUR/USD rising 0.17% to hit 1.4110.
On Wednesday, Portugal’s prime minister resigned following parliaments rejection of his government’s austerity program, increasing the likelihood that Portugal will now need a financial bailout.
But the greenback was higher against the pound, with GBP/USD shedding 0.44% to hit 1.6166.
Earlier in the day, official data showed that retail sales in the U.K. fell more-than-expected in February.
Meanwhile, the greenback was almost unchanged against the yen, with USD/JPY dipping 0.02% to hit 80.89.
The greenback eased up against the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF rising 0.24% to hit 0.9106.
Elsewhere, the greenback was lower against its Canadian, Australian and New Zealand counterparts, with USD/CAD shedding 0.34% to hit 0.9781, AUD/USD climbing 0.21% to hit 1.0152 and NZD/USD surging 0.79% to hit 0.7463.
Earlier in the day, official data showed that New Zealand’s economy expanded more-than-expected in the fourth quarter.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, dipped 0.02%.
Later Thursday, the U.S. was to release government data on initial jobless claims and durable goods orders.
ForexPros.com
