(Reuters) - The dollar slipped to session lows against the euro and pared gains against the yen on Thursday after U.S. data showed the number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits edged higher last week. A trend reading of jobless claims, however, fell close to a four-year low, pointing to ongoing healing in the labor market. The dollar last traded at 79.24 yen, up 0.3 percent on the day, according to Reuters data. The euro hit a session high of $1.2327 following the data and last traded up 0.3 percent at $1.2324. Against the yen, the euro rose as high as 97.70 and last traded at 97.62, up 0.6 percent on the day. Separate data showed U.S. housing starts unexpectedly fell in July. "The reports are a bit of a mixed bag. Overall, they are consistent with our outlook that growth will be a little bit better in the U.S. but not as upbeat as some people think," said Brian Kim, currency strategist at RBS Securities in Stamford, Connecticut. "We're still looking at possible Fed action in September and these numbers don't really alter that view," he said. (Reporting by Julie Haviv and additional reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source