Investing.com - The dollar bounced off seven-week lows against the other majors currencies on Thursday, ahead of U.S. data on jobless claims and new home sales, but gains were expected to remain limited as concerns over Donald Trump’s policies continued to weigh on the greenback
EUR/USD slid 0.26% to 1.0722.
Investors were cautious after Trump on Wednesday ordered construction of a U.S.-Mexican border wall and punishment for cities shielding illegal immigrants.
In addition, Trump was expected to sign an executive order in the coming days to block the entry of refugees from Syria and suspend the entry of any immigrants from Muslim-majority Middle Eastern and African countries.
The dollar has been under heavy pressure since Donald Trump’s inauguration last Friday amid concerns over a lack of clarity on his economic policies and fears that his protectionist trade stance could hit corporate profits and act as a drag on growth.
Elsewhere, GBP/USD held steady at 1.2631, not far from a six-week high of 1.2624 hit overnight.
The pound strengthened after the U.K. Office for National Statistics reported on Thursday that gross domestic product grew by 0.6% in the three months to December, above forecasts of 0.5% and matching the rate of expansion seen the previous quarter.
On an annual basis, the economy grew by 2.2%, slightly faster than the 2.1% growth expected.
Sterling was also supported as the government was set to publish draft legislation later Thursday seeking parliament’s approval to trigger Article 50 and begin Brexit talks.
USD/JPY advanced 0.81% to 114.21, while USD/CHF edged down 0.10% to trade at 0.9985.
The Australian and New Zealand dollars were weaker, with AUD/USD down 0.42% at 0.7542 and with NZD/USD retreating 0.48% to 0.7261.
Earlier Thursday, Statistics New Zealand reported that the consumer price index rose 0.4% in the fourth quarter of 2016, beating expectations for an uptick of 0.3%.
Year-on-year, consumer prices increased by 1.3% in the last quarter, more than the expected 1.2% gain.
Meanwhile, USD/CAD rose 0.23% to trade at 1.3100.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was up 0.34% at 100.25, off a seven-week trough of 99.77 hit overnight.