Investing.com - The euro was almost unchanged against the U.S. dollar on Friday, as investors eyed upcoming reports on euro zone inflation and second quarter growth, while Greek lawmakers continued to debate the conditions of a third bailout plan ahead of a key vote.
EUR/USD hit 1.1138 during late Asian trade, the session low; the pair subsequently consolidated at 1.1143.
The pair was likely to find support at 1.1079 and resistance at 1.1212, the high of August 12.
Earlier Friday, preliminary data showed that German gross domestic product rose 0.4% in the second quarter, disappointing expectations for an increase of 0.5% and after a growth rate of 0.3% in the three months to March.
In Greece, lawmakers debate through the night on whether or not to accept the conditions for the new €85 billion bailout program.
Euro zone finance ministers were scheduled to vote on the bailout later in the day.
The dollar remained supported after data on Thursday showed that U.S. jobless claims rose more than expected last week, but held near the lowest level since November 1973.
The U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending August 8 rose by 5,000 to 274,000 from the previous week’s total of 269,000.
In addition, the U.S. Commerce Department said that retail sales increased by 0.6% last month, beating expectations for a gain of 0.5%, while core retail sales, which exclude automobile sales, rose by 0.4% in July, matching forecasts.
Meanwhile, the turmoil caused by the devaluation of the yuan two days in a row subsided after China's central bank said on Thursday that there was no basis for further depreciation in the currency, given China's strong economic fundamentals.
The yuan has fallen almost 5% against the dollar this week after China devalued its currency in a surprise move on Tuesday in a bid to shore up growth in the flagging economy.
The euro was also steady against the pound, with EUR/GBP at 0.7140.