The U.S. dollar was up slightly on Friday against the euro, building on minor gains from the day before made after a brief dip following Washington's release of new durable goods and jobless claims data.
The 12-nation currency was at US$1.3033 in morning trading in Europe, down from US$1.3040 late Thursday in New York.
The U.S. dollar was also stronger against other rivals, with the British pound down at US$1.8865 compared with US$1.8886 on Thursday and the dollar buying 103.21 yen, up from 103.03 the day before.
The euro jumped as high as US$1.3124 on Thursday following reports from the U.S. Labor and Commerce Departments on unemployment and durable goods orders.
Jobless claims rose by 7,000 to 325,000 after seasonal adjustments -- less than half the rise many had predicted.
Durable goods orders, helped by strong demand for communications equipment, rose 0.6 percent in December. For all of 2004, orders to U.S. companies for big-ticket durable goods were up 10.9 percent, the best showing since 1994.
The euro soared from about US$1.20 in September to an all-time high of US$1.3667 at the end of December on increasing concerns about the ballooning U.S. trade and budget deficits but has since been holding around the US$1.30 mark.