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The dollar edged higher against the other major currencies on Friday, as investors eyed the release of a batch of U.S. data later in the day amid growing expectations for a September rate hike by the Federal Reserve.EUR/USD fell 0.11% to 1.1135.The dollar remained supported after data on Thursday showed that U.S. jobless claimsrose more than expected last week, but held near the lowest level since November 1973.The U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending August 8 rose by 5,000 to 274,000 from the previous week’s total of 269,000.In addition, the U.S. Commerce Department said that retail sales increased by 0.6% last month, beating expectations for a gain of 0.5%, while core retail sales, which exclude automobile sales, rose by 0.4% in July, matching forecasts.In the euro zone, data on Friday showed that gross domestic product rose 0.3% in the second quarter, confounding expectations for a growth rate of 0.4%. Year-on-year, the euro zone economy grew by a rate of 1.2% in the three months to June, compared to expectations for 1.3%.A separate report showed that the bloc's consumer price index fell 0.6% in July, in line with expectations and after a flat reading the previous month.The dollar was lower against the yen, with USD/JPY down 0.13% to 124.29.Elsewhere, the dollar was steady against the pound and the Swiss franc, with GBP/USDat 1.5611 and with USD/CHF at 0.9758.The Australian dollar was higher, with AUD/USD up 0.34% at 0.7385, while NZD/USDdropped 0.46% to 0.6540.Statistics New Zealand earlier reported that retail sales ticked up 0.2% in the second quarter, below expectations for a 0.5% gain, while core retail sales, which exclude automobiles and gas stations rose 0.1%, compared to expectations for an increase of 0.7%.The greenback edged higher against the Canadian dollar, with USD/CAD up 0.09% at 1.3070.The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was up 0.10% at 96.47.
