Investing.com - The dollar was mixed against the other major currencies on Friday, as sentiment on the greenback remained vulnerable ahead of a highly anticipated report on U.S. nonfarm payrolls after Thursday's disappointing jobless claims data.
The dollar was higher against the euro, with EUR/USD down 0.20% to 1.3636.
The euro remained under pressure after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi on Thursday said that the bank is prepared to act swiftly with further monetary easing measures, including asset-backed security purchases, in case of a prolonged period of low inflation.
Speaking at the ECB’s post-policy meeting press conference, Draghi also said that the central bank we will be conducting a series of Targeted Longer Term Refinancing Operations (TLTROs), to support bank lending.
The comments came after the ECB lowered its benchmark interest rate to a record-low 0.15% from 0.25%, compared to expectations for a cut to 0.1%.
Earlier Friday, official data showed that Germany's trade surplus widened to €17.7 billion in April, from €15.0 billion in March, whose figure was revised up from a previously estimated surplus of €14.8 billion. Analysts had expected the trade surplus to widen to €15.2 billion in April.
Market participants were eyeing U.S. nonfarm payrolls data to be released later in the day for further indications on the strength of the job market after recent employment reports fuelled investors' concerns.
On Thursday, the Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending May 31 rose more than expected to 312,000.
The pound edged lower against the dollar, with GBP/USD easing 0.07% to 1.6811.
Official data showed that the U.K. trade deficit widened to £8.92 billion in April, from £8.29 billion in March, whose figure was revised from a previously estimated deficit of £8.48 billion. Analysts had expected the trade deficit to widen to £8.65 billion in April.
Separately, the Bank of England said consumer inflation expectations for the next year fell to 2.6% in the first quarter, from 2.8% in the three months to December.
The dollar was lower against the yen, with USD/JPY shedding 0.12% to 102.29 and higher against the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF adding 0.17% to 0.8928.
In Switzerland, data showed that consumer price inflation rose 0.3% last month, after a 0.1% uptick in April, exceeding expectations for a 0.2% gain.
The greenback was lower against the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian dollars, with AUD/USD up 0.17% to 0.9356, NZD/USD gaining 0.40% to 0.8534 and USD/CAD edging 0.09% lower to 1.0914.
The US Dollar Index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was up 0.09% to 80.45.