Oil prices, jobless claims hurt USD

The US dollar declined versus the euro, hurt by a second day of higher oil prices and on more first-time unemployment claims in the US last week, while the yen declined on slightly increased appetite for higher-yielding currencies after the US Federal Reserve authorized other central banks to auction dollar to banks.

The dollar traded at $1.4375 to the euro just before noon in New York, while it also declined in relation to the South African rand, to R8.2305 to the dollar, and versus the Swedish krona to kr6.6910 to the dollar as the demand for US government debt declined.

The yen traded at ¥150.6426 to the euro and at ¥104.795 to the greenback while it dropped to ¥70.131 to the New Zealand dollar and to ¥83.5687 to the Australian dollar.

The Swiss franc gained in relation to the US dollar but declined versus the euro after the central bank there held interest rates at 2.75 percent, with the franc trading at SFr1.0994 to the US dollar and at SFr1,5805 to the shared currency in late morning trade in New York.

The Canadian dollar advanced against the US dollar, with the loonie trading at C$1.0691 to the greenback at just before noon in New York.

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