Investing.com - The dollar was mixed against the world's major currencies on Thursday as investors juggled disappointing output data out of Europe with lackluster home sales figures in the U.S.
In Asian trading on Thursday, the euro was lower but steady against the greenback, with EUR/USD losing 0.02% and trading at 1.3248.
Manufacturing and services output data for both the eurozone and its largest economy, Germany, came in lower than expected, which fueled concerns that the European economy may be a little weaker than thought.
London-based Markit Economics reported its composite purchasing managers' index for both service and manufacturing sectors across the eurozone dropped to 49.7 in February from 50.4 in January.
Plus Fitch Ratings downgraded Greece to C from CCC due to terms of the country's recent EUR130 billion bailout package.
Data out of the U.S. suggested the world's largest economy isn't exactly roaring back to life but continues limping along its tepid recovery from the recession.
The American Petroleum Institute reported that oil inventories rose more than expected during the previous week, which may suggest U.S. consumers are forgoing driving due to rising fuel prices.
Also in the U.S., the National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales rose by 4.3% to a seasonally adjusted 4.57 million units in January, below expectations for a gain of 6.2% to 4.67 million units.
Meanwhile, the dollar was up against the pound, with Cable dropping 0.03% to 1.5666, as minutes from the latest Bank of England meeting revealed that some monetary policy officials might favor new rounds of quantitative easing to kick-start more economic activity.
The greenback was down 0.12% against the yen, with USD/JPY trading at 80.20, and flat against the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF trading at 0.9102.
The greenback was up against its cousins in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with USD/CAD up 0.01% at 0.9998, AUD/USD down 0.11% at 1.0626 and NZD/USD down 0.17% at 0.8278.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.02% at 79.29.
Later Thursday, the U.S. will publish government data on initial jobless claims, an key signal of overall economic health, as well as numbers on crude and gasoline inventories.
In Asian trading on Thursday, the euro was lower but steady against the greenback, with EUR/USD losing 0.02% and trading at 1.3248.
Manufacturing and services output data for both the eurozone and its largest economy, Germany, came in lower than expected, which fueled concerns that the European economy may be a little weaker than thought.
London-based Markit Economics reported its composite purchasing managers' index for both service and manufacturing sectors across the eurozone dropped to 49.7 in February from 50.4 in January.
Plus Fitch Ratings downgraded Greece to C from CCC due to terms of the country's recent EUR130 billion bailout package.
Data out of the U.S. suggested the world's largest economy isn't exactly roaring back to life but continues limping along its tepid recovery from the recession.
The American Petroleum Institute reported that oil inventories rose more than expected during the previous week, which may suggest U.S. consumers are forgoing driving due to rising fuel prices.
Also in the U.S., the National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales rose by 4.3% to a seasonally adjusted 4.57 million units in January, below expectations for a gain of 6.2% to 4.67 million units.
Meanwhile, the dollar was up against the pound, with Cable dropping 0.03% to 1.5666, as minutes from the latest Bank of England meeting revealed that some monetary policy officials might favor new rounds of quantitative easing to kick-start more economic activity.
The greenback was down 0.12% against the yen, with USD/JPY trading at 80.20, and flat against the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF trading at 0.9102.
The greenback was up against its cousins in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, with USD/CAD up 0.01% at 0.9998, AUD/USD down 0.11% at 1.0626 and NZD/USD down 0.17% at 0.8278.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.02% at 79.29.
Later Thursday, the U.S. will publish government data on initial jobless claims, an key signal of overall economic health, as well as numbers on crude and gasoline inventories.