Investing.com – The U.S. dollar was mixed against its major counterparts on Thursday, as the European Central Bank came under pressure to intervene to stem the sovereign debt contagion threatening to sweep the euro zone.
During European early afternoon trade, the greenback was down against the euro, with EUR/USD climbing 0.17% to hit 1.3160.
As the debt crisis in the euro zone threatened to spill over into Spain, expectations mounted that the ECB would announce an expansion of its bond-buying program or delay the withdrawal of unlimited liquidity support for banks, after its policy meeting on Thursday.
But the greenback was up against the pound with GBP/USD shedding 0.26% to hit 1.5578. Earlier Thursday, data showed that the U.K. construction PMI rose unexpectedly in November.
The greenback was also up against the yen but was down against the Swiss franc, with USD/JPY easing up 0.01% to hit 84.20 and USD/CHF slipping 0.16% to hit 1.0003.
Earlier in the day, official data showed that Swiss gross domestic product increased more-than-expected in the third quarter. A separate report showed that retail sales in Switzerland rose less-than-expected in October.
Elsewhere, official data showed that Japanese capital spending rose 4.8% in the second quarter, increasing for the first time in over three years.
Meanwhile, the greenback was down against its Canadian and New Zealand counterparts but up against its Australian cousin, with USD/CAD shedding 0.44% to hit 1.0124, NZD/USD advancing 0.22% to hit 0.7504 and AUD/USD shedding 0.10% to hit 0.9673.
Also Thursday, official data showed that Australian retail sales fell unexpectedly in October.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.11%.
Later in the day, the ECB was to announce its benchmark interest rate. The announcement was to be followed by a press conference. Also Thursday, the U.S. was to publish key weekly data on initial jobless claims as well as a report on pending home sales.
During European early afternoon trade, the greenback was down against the euro, with EUR/USD climbing 0.17% to hit 1.3160.
As the debt crisis in the euro zone threatened to spill over into Spain, expectations mounted that the ECB would announce an expansion of its bond-buying program or delay the withdrawal of unlimited liquidity support for banks, after its policy meeting on Thursday.
But the greenback was up against the pound with GBP/USD shedding 0.26% to hit 1.5578. Earlier Thursday, data showed that the U.K. construction PMI rose unexpectedly in November.
The greenback was also up against the yen but was down against the Swiss franc, with USD/JPY easing up 0.01% to hit 84.20 and USD/CHF slipping 0.16% to hit 1.0003.
Earlier in the day, official data showed that Swiss gross domestic product increased more-than-expected in the third quarter. A separate report showed that retail sales in Switzerland rose less-than-expected in October.
Elsewhere, official data showed that Japanese capital spending rose 4.8% in the second quarter, increasing for the first time in over three years.
Meanwhile, the greenback was down against its Canadian and New Zealand counterparts but up against its Australian cousin, with USD/CAD shedding 0.44% to hit 1.0124, NZD/USD advancing 0.22% to hit 0.7504 and AUD/USD shedding 0.10% to hit 0.9673.
Also Thursday, official data showed that Australian retail sales fell unexpectedly in October.
The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.11%.
Later in the day, the ECB was to announce its benchmark interest rate. The announcement was to be followed by a press conference. Also Thursday, the U.S. was to publish key weekly data on initial jobless claims as well as a report on pending home sales.