Forex - EUR/USD gains as mixed U.S. data clouds timing of Fed tapering

The euro traded higher against the dollar on Thursday as investors digested mixed economic data and concluded that the Federal Reserve will likely keep dollar-weakening stimulus programs in place possibly through the end of this year.

In U.S. trading on Thursday, EUR/USD was up 0.06% at 1.3264, up from a session low of 1.3205 and off from a high of 1.3310.

The pair was likely to find support at 1.3190, the low from Aug. 2, and resistance at 1.3399, last Thursday's high.

The Department of Labor reported earlier that weekly jobless claims in the U.S. fell to their lowest level since January 2008 last week, dropping by 15,000 to 320,000.

The Department of Labor also revealed that the U.S. consumer price index rose 0.2% in July from June and 2.0% from July of last year, in line with analysts' forecasts. 

The core consumer price index, which is stripped of volatile food and energy costs, also rose 0.2% in July from June and 1.7% on year, also matching consensus forecasts.

The data reinforced views held by many the economic recovery may be strong enough to prompt the U.S. Federal Reserve to announce plans to taper its monthly USD85 billion bond-buying program this year, though soft output data dampened recent expectations for tapering to begin at the Fed's September meeting.

U.S. industrial production came in flat in July, according to the Federal Reserve, missing expectations for a 0.3% increase.

A separate Federal Reserve report revealed that manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia-region of the U.S. expanded at its slowest pace in four months in August, while manufacturing activity in New York state fell unexpectedly.

The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index fell to 9.3 in August from 19.8 in July, falling far short of market forecasts for a 15.0 reading.

The Federal Reserve's New York Empire State Manufacturing Index fell to 8.24 in August from 9.46 in July, defying expectations for a gain to 10.00.

The data prompted may to trade on expectations that the Fed will put off tapering asset purchases until December and keep the dollar weak via monthly liquidity injections until then.

The euro, meanwhile, was down against the pound and down against the yen, with EUR/GBP trading down 0.37% at 0.8518 and EUR/JPYtrading down 0.24% at 129.77.

On Friday, the euro zone is to release official data on consumer price inflation and the trade balance.

The U.S. will release data on building permits, a leading indicator of future construction sector activity, as well as data on housing starts. The University of Michigan is to release its closely watched preliminary data on consumer sentiment.