Investing.com - The dollar was trading above one-week lows on Thursday after data showing that U.S. jobless claims fell slightly less than expected last week, but remained in territory consistent with a solid labor market.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was up 0.13% at 95.72, holding above last week’s lows of 94.94.
The Labor Department reported that the number of Americans filing for jobless benefits last week decreased by 1,000 to 266,000 from the previous week’s total of 267,000.
Analysts had expected jobless claims to drop by 4,000 to 265,000.
The dollar remained on the defensive amid uncertainty over the timing of the next U.S. interest rate hike.
Higher interest rates typically boost the dollar by making it more attractive to yield seeking investors.
Investors were looking ahead to Friday’s data on U.S. retail sales for a fresh indication on the timing of a possible rate hike before the end of this year.
The euro was slightly weaker in quiet trade, with EUR/USD sliding 0.2% to 1.1157.
The dollar inched higher against the yen, with USD/JPY easing up 0.11% to 101.39.
The New Zealand dollar was stronger after a smaller than expected rate cut by the country’s central bank earlier, with NZD/USD up 0.51% at 0.7251, after initially rising as high as 0.7343.
Its Australian counterpart was little changed at 0.7709.
The pound slipped lower, with GBP/USD sliding 0.35% to 1.2962.