SINGAPORE: The euro rose in Asia amid increased risk appetite Friday after US data showed jobless claims had fallen to their lowest level since April 2008, analysts said. The common European unit rose to $1.3065 from $1.3050 in late trade on Thursday in New York and to 102.05 yen compared with 101.83 yen. The greenback changed hands at 78.10 yen, compared with 78.15 yen. On Thursday the US Labor Department said weekly claims for unemployment benefits hit a better-than-expected 364,000 last week, compared with a consensus estimate of 380,000 and representing a third straight drop. The downward claims trend matched data from earlier in the month showing the national unemployment rate dropping to 8.6 percent in November from 9.0 percent the month before, adding to a sense of continued recovery in the world's number one economy. "The US has been creating jobs for 14 months in a row," said Jennifer Lee of BMO Capital Markets. "In other words, the job market is improving." Analysts from Singapore's United Overseas Bank expect the dollar to remain strong against the euro in the first half of next year if the European debt crisis remains far from resolved. They said in a commentary "the likely increased severity of the European situation and a clearly missing workable short-term solution to the European debt problems in first half (of 2012) will imply that the dollar strength will be sustained." Against other Asian units, the dollar fell to Sg$1.2912 from Sg$1.2959 late Thursday, to 43.47 Philippine pesos from 43.70 and to Tw$30.29 from Tw$30.32. It also fell to 1,149.15 South Korean won from 1,158.10, to 31.29 Thai baht from 31.33 and to 9,015 Indonesian rupiah from 9,165.00.

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