Investing.com - The U.S. dollar remained broadly higher against its major counterparts on Thursday, as delays in Greek debt talks and uncertainty over the country’s ability to avoid a default dampened demand for riskier assets.
During European afternoon trade, the dollar was higher against the euro, with EUR/USD shedding 0.67% to hit 1.2980.
The euro came under pressure after a teleconference of euro zone finance ministers on Wednesday failed to reach a decision on Greece's new bailout and private-debt restructuring issues.
European Union officials are believed to be looking at delaying all or part of Greece's bailout until after a general election in the country, which is expected to take place in April.
Officials are examining the possibility of extending a bridging loan to Athens, which would allow Greece to meet EUR14.4 billion in repayments which come due on March 20, avoiding a default.
Sentiment was also hit after ratings agency Moody's warned earlier that it may cut the credit ratings of 114 banks in 16 countries across Europe, citing banks' vulnerability to the sovereign debt crisis in the euro zone.
Meanwhile, the European Central Bank said in its monthly bulletin that it expects the euro zone economy to contract this year by 0.1%, slashing its projections for 0.8% growth.
The greenback was also higher against the pound, with GBP/USD slipping 0.21% to hit 1.5659.
The Nationwide Building Society said earlier that its index of consumer confidence for the U.K. improved more-than-expected in January, rising to 47 after a reading at 38 the previous month.
Analysts had expected the index to rise to 40 in January.
The greenback was higher against yen and the Swiss franc, with USD/JPY adding 0.43% to hit 78.77 and USD/CHF climbing 0.66%, to hit 0.9297.
The yen remained under pressure after the Bank of Japan unexpectedly announced Tuesday that it would increase the size of its asset-purchase program by JPY10 trillion in an attempt to boost growth and protect the economy from the effects of the strong yen.
Elsewhere, the greenback was higher against its Canadian, Australian and New Zealand counterparts, with USD/CAD rising 0.36% to hit 1.0037, AUD/USD shedding 0.28% to hit 1.0665 and NZD/USD tumbling 0.74% to hit 0.8269.
Earlier in the day, official data showed that the Australian economy added 46,300 jobs in January, beating expectations for a 10,500 gain, bringing the unemployment rate down to 5.1%.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, climbed 0.57% to hit 80.20.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish official data on building permits and on housing starts, as well as reports on producer price inflation and unemployment claims. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was also due to speak.
During European afternoon trade, the dollar was higher against the euro, with EUR/USD shedding 0.67% to hit 1.2980.
The euro came under pressure after a teleconference of euro zone finance ministers on Wednesday failed to reach a decision on Greece's new bailout and private-debt restructuring issues.
European Union officials are believed to be looking at delaying all or part of Greece's bailout until after a general election in the country, which is expected to take place in April.
Officials are examining the possibility of extending a bridging loan to Athens, which would allow Greece to meet EUR14.4 billion in repayments which come due on March 20, avoiding a default.
Sentiment was also hit after ratings agency Moody's warned earlier that it may cut the credit ratings of 114 banks in 16 countries across Europe, citing banks' vulnerability to the sovereign debt crisis in the euro zone.
Meanwhile, the European Central Bank said in its monthly bulletin that it expects the euro zone economy to contract this year by 0.1%, slashing its projections for 0.8% growth.
The greenback was also higher against the pound, with GBP/USD slipping 0.21% to hit 1.5659.
The Nationwide Building Society said earlier that its index of consumer confidence for the U.K. improved more-than-expected in January, rising to 47 after a reading at 38 the previous month.
Analysts had expected the index to rise to 40 in January.
The greenback was higher against yen and the Swiss franc, with USD/JPY adding 0.43% to hit 78.77 and USD/CHF climbing 0.66%, to hit 0.9297.
The yen remained under pressure after the Bank of Japan unexpectedly announced Tuesday that it would increase the size of its asset-purchase program by JPY10 trillion in an attempt to boost growth and protect the economy from the effects of the strong yen.
Elsewhere, the greenback was higher against its Canadian, Australian and New Zealand counterparts, with USD/CAD rising 0.36% to hit 1.0037, AUD/USD shedding 0.28% to hit 1.0665 and NZD/USD tumbling 0.74% to hit 0.8269.
Earlier in the day, official data showed that the Australian economy added 46,300 jobs in January, beating expectations for a 10,500 gain, bringing the unemployment rate down to 5.1%.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, climbed 0.57% to hit 80.20.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish official data on building permits and on housing starts, as well as reports on producer price inflation and unemployment claims. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was also due to speak.