Investing.com - The U.S. dollar was broadly higher against the other major currencies on Friday, as disappointing euro zone unemployment data added to concerns over the perspective for growth in the single currency bloc, boosting demamnd for the safe haven greenback. During European morning trade, the dollar was higher against the euro, with EUR/USD retreating 0.46% to 1.2987. The euro came under pressure after official data showed that the unemployment rate in the euro zone rose to a new record high of 12.2% in April, from 12.1% the previous month, in line with expectations. Separately, a preliminary report showed that the bloc's consumer price index rose to an annualized rate of 1.4% this month, from 1.2% in April, as anticipated. The data came after Destatis said that German retail sales fell 0.4% in April, disappointing expectations for a 0.2% rise, after a 0.1% decline the previous month. The greenback was also higher against the pound, with GBP/USD slipping 0.12% to 1.5215. In a report, the Bank of England said that net lending to individuals rose by GBP1.4 billion in April, beating expectations for a GBP0.9 billion increase, after a GBP1.1 billion rise the previous month. Elsewhere, the greenback was lower against the yen, with USD/JPY shedding 0.23% to trade at 100.46, but higher against the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF adding 0.11% to 0.9542. In Japan, preliminary data showed that industrial production in Japan rose 1.7% in April, beating expectations for a 0.6% rise, after a 0.9% increase the previous month. A separate report showed that the core consumer price index in Tokyo rose 0.1% in May, confounding expectations for a 0.2% decline, after a 0.3% fall the previous month. Official data showed however that household spending in Japan rose less-than-expected last month, advancing 1.5%, after a 5.2% increase in March. Analysts had expected household spending to rise 3.1% in April. Meanwhile, the KOF economic barometer for Switzerland rose to 1.10 this month, from a reading of 1.04 in April, beating expectations for a rise to 1.08. The greenback was higher against its Canadian, Australian and New Zealand counterparts, with USD/CAD climbing 0.52% to 1.0351, AUD/USD retreating 0.82% to 0.9582 and NZD/USD tumbling 1.11% to 0.7984. Data earlier showed that New Zealand's ANZ business confidence index rose to 41.8 in May, from a reading of 32.3 the previous month. The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was up 0.33% to 83.34. Later in the day, the U.S. was to release revised data on consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan, as well as data on personal income and expenditure and a report on manufacturing activity in Chicago.

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