Investing.com - A better-than-expected uptick in demand for durable goods in the U.S. sent the dollar firming against the euro on Friday.
In U.S. trading, EUR/USD was down 0.27% at 1.3427, up from a session low of 1.3421 and off a high of 1.3476.
The pair was likely to find support at 1.3399, the low from Nov. 21, 2013, and resistance at 1.3485, Thursday's high.
The Census Bureau reported earlier that U.S. durable goods orders rose 0.7% in June, beating expectations for a 0.5% gain, after declining of 1% in May, whose figure was revised from a previously estimated 0.9% contraction.
Core durable goods orders, which are stripped of transportation items, grew 0.8% in June, beating expectations for a 0.6% gain, after a 0.1% downtick in May, whose figure was revised from a previously estimated flat reading.
The data came a day after the U.S. Department of Labor reported that the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending July 19 declined by 19,000 to 284,000, defying market forecasts for claims to rise by 5,000.
The data primed market expectations for the Federal Reserve to wind down its bond-buying stimulus program around October and raise interest rates in 2015.
The euro, meanwhile, came under pressure after Ifo Institute for Economic Research reported earlier that its German business climate index fell to a nine-month low of 108.0 this month, down from 109.7 in June. Analysts had expected the index to tick down to 109.4 in July.
A separate report showed that the Gfk German consumer climate index rose to a seven-and-a-half-year high of 9.0 this month, up from a reading of 8.9 in June. Analysts had expected the index to remain unchanged in July.
Elsewhere, the euro was down against the pound, with EUR/GBP down 0.16% at 0.7913, and down against the yen, with EUR/JPY down 0.24% at 136.74.