Investing.com - The euro pushed lower against the U.S. dollar on Thursday, despite positive German employment data, as concerns over the U.S. debt ceiling continued to weigh.
EUR/USD hit 1.3088 during European afternoon trade, the pair's lowest since December 14; the pair subsequently consolidated at 1.3096, dropping 0.68%.
The pair was likely to find support at 1.3067, the low of December 14 and resistance at 1.3191, the session high.
The euro shrugged off official data showing that the number of unemployed people in Germany rose far less-than-expected in November, rising by 3,000 after a 5,000 increase the previous month.
Analysts had expected the number of unemployed people to rise by 10,000 in November.
Germany's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.9% in November, in line with expectations.
Investors remained cautious over the longer term outlook in the U.S., with negotiations on raising the debt ceiling still to come in February.
Sentiment strengthened on Tuesday after U.S. lawmakers passed a compromise bill to avoid the fiscal cliff, blocking a series of looming tax increases and spending cuts that could have pushed the U.S. economy back into a recession.
The euro was also lower against the pound with EUR/GBP slipping 0.09%, to hit 0.8105.
Also Thursday, Markit research firm and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply said that their U.K. construction purchasing managers' index fell to a seasonally adjusted 48.7 in December from a reading of 49.3 in November, slowing to a six-month low.
Economists had expected the index to ease up to 49.5 last month.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release a report on ADP nonfarm payrolls, as well as its weekly government report on initial jobless claims. In addition, the Federal Reserve was to publish the minutes of its most recent policy-setting meeting.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
