Investing.com - The dollar pushed higher against other major currencies on Thursday, despite the release of disappointing U.S. jobless claims data as investors were awaiting the results of the U.K. election and more U.S. political developments.
EUR/USD slipped 0.18% to 1.1235 after the European Central Bank left its interest rates unchanged in a widely expected move.
Traders were eyeing President Mario Draghi’s statements for his assessment of the euro area economy.
In the U.S., the Department of Labor said initial jobless claims in the week ending June 3 decreased by 10,000 to 245,000 from the previous week’s total of 255,000. Analysts expected jobless claims to fall by 15,000 to 240,000 last week.
Sentiment on the greenback remained vulnerable ahead of former FBI Director James Comey's testimony to a Senate committee later Thursday.
Investors are fearful that the Trump administration may be further damaged by any revelations that could emerge when Comey testifies about Russia’s alleged involvement in the U.S. election.
GBP/USD fell 0.18% to 1.2936.
Polls on the eve of the U.K. election indicated that Prime Minister Theresa May will win the vote and increase her parliamentary majority.
USD/JPY gained 0.32% to 110.16, while USD/CHF added 0.11% to trade at 0.9664.
The Australian dollar turned lower, with AUD/USD down 0.15% at 0.7539, while NZD/USD rose 0.15% to 0.7207.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics earlier reported that the trade surplus narrowed to A$0.555 billion in April from A$3.169 billion in March, whose figure was revised from a previously estimated surplus of A$3.107 billion.
Analysts had expected the trade surplus to narrow to A$1.950 billion in April.
A separate report showed that China’s exports rose by an annualized rate of 8.7% in May, exceeding expectations for a 7.0% climb, while imports jumped 14.8%, blowing past projections for an increase of 8.5%.
China is Australia’s biggest export partner.
Meanwhile, USD/CAD held steady at 1.3505.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was up 0.33% at 96.99, the highest since June 2.