Investing.com - U.S. new home sales rose less than expected in October, dampening optimism over the health of the housing sector, official data showed on Wednesday.
In a report, the U.S. Commerce Department said new home sales inched up by 0.7% to a seasonally adjusted 458,000 units last month, below expectations for 471,000.
New home sales in September were revised down to 455,000 units from a previously reported 467,000 units.
EUR/USD was trading at 1.2510 from around 1.2497 ahead of the release of the data, while GBP/USD was at 1.5794 from 1.5789 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 87.68, compared to 87.75 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were mixed after the open. The Dow 30 shed 0.1%, the S&P 500 dipped 0.1%, while the Nasdaq 100 tacked on 0.1%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,198.00 a troy ounce, compared to $1,198.10 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $73.60 a barrel from $73.53 earlier.