The euro was basically flat against the dollar Thursday as a government average showed U.S. unemployment numbers were still rising, even though initial claims for benefits dropped last week.
The euro bought US$1.5505 in afternoon European trading, down only slightly from the US$1.5513 in late New York trading on Wednesday.
The Labor Department's report on initial claims for unemployment declined by 5,000 last week from the previous week, but the decrease was a bit smaller than expected. The four-week moving average of initial claims rose _ a sign that the U.S. job market remains strained.
The U.S. Labor Department reported jobless claims fell by 5,000 last week to 381,000 after having surged by 27,000 the previous week.
In other currencies, the British pound rose to US$1.9699 from US$1.9569, while the dollar was also flat at 107.90 Japanese yen from 107.99 yen in New York late Wednesday.
