Investing.com - The dollar pushed mostly higher against the other major currencies on Thursday, as the release of upbeat U.S. economic growth and jobless claims data confirmed the view that the U.S. recovery is on track, supporting demand for the greenback.
Preliminary data showed that U.S. gross domestic product expanded by 4.2% in the second quarter, beating expectations for growth of 3.9%, after an expansion of 4.0% in the three months to April.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending August 22 declined by 1,000 to 298,000 from the previous week’s revised total of 299,000.
The strong data confirmed Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's comments at Jackson Hole last week saying that the U.S. economy is recovering and the labor market is improving.
A separate report showed that U.S. pending home sales increased by 3.3% last month, compared to expectations for a 0.5% rise. June's figure was revised to a 1.3% drop from a previously estimated decline of 1.1%.
EUR/USD slipped 0.20% to 1.3166.
Preliminary data showed that German consumer price inflation was flat in August, in line with expectations after a 0.3% rise the previous month.
Data also showed that the number of unemployed people in Germany rose by 2,000 last month, confounding expectations for a decline of 5,000.
The euro had found support earlier, as expectations for fresh stimulus measures by the European Central Bank slightly eased after German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble said on Wednesday that ECB President Mario Draghi's recent comments on the matter have been "over-interpreted."
The pound was steady, with GBP/USD at 1.6579.
The Confederation of British Industry earlier reported that realized sales rose to a six-month high of 37 this month, from a reading of 21 in July, compared to expectations for a rise to 27.
The dollar was inched lower against the yen, with USD/JPY up 0.08% at 103.80 and edged up against the Swiss franc with USD/CHF adding 0.09% to 0.9158.
In Switzerland, official data showed that the number of employed people rose to 4,200 million in the last quarter, from 4,192 million in the three months to April. Analysts had expected the number of employed people to rise to 4,210 million in the second quarter.
Elsewhere, the Australian dollar edged up, with AUD/USD adding 0.11% to 0.9346, while the New Zealand and Canadian dollars held steady, with NZD/USD at 0.8368 and USD/CAD at 1.0863.
The US Dollar Index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, added 0.19% to 82.63.