Forex Pros – The U.S. dollar was mixed against the other major currencies on Thursday, amid increased risk aversion after official data showed an unexpected jump in initial jobless claims in the U.S. last week. During European afternoon trade, the greenback was down against the euro, with EUR/USD gaining 0.11% to hit 1.3176. Earlier Thursday, the European Central Bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1.0%, as expected. The greenback was also down against the yen and the Swiss franc, with USD/JPY shedding 0.41% to hit 85.92 and USD/CHF falling 0.67% to hit 1.0453. Earlier in the day, Japan's trade minister Masayuki Naoshima voiced concerns about the yens strong gains, saying “Japanese companies are facing significant currency risks in their business” adding that “we need some kind of response.” Meanwhile, the greenback was also down against its Canadian counterpart, with USD/CAD shedding 0.43% to hit 1.0137. But the greenback was up against its Australian and New Zealand counterparts, with AUD/USD shedding 0.31% to hit 0.9137 and NZD/USD tumbling 1.13% to hit 0.7264. Late Wednesday, official data showed that New Zealand's unemployment rate rose more-than-expected in the second-quarter. The greenback was also up against the pound, with GBP/USD down 0.11% to hit 1.5865. Earlier Thursday, the Bank of England kept its benchmark interest rate at 0.5%, in a widely expected move. The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.16%.

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