· The dollar fell to a one-month low versus a basket of currencies on Thursday on a less upbeat U.S. growth outlook after the passage of major tax cuts, while bitcoin declined for a second day after South Korea stiffened rules on cryptocurrency trading.
An index which tracks the greenback against six major currencies slipped nearly half a percent on Thursday to its weakest since Nov. 27 . It was last down 0.45 percent at 92.609.
The euro rose 0.55 percent to $1.1951 after touching its highest in a month. It has gained about 14 percent so far this year, setting up for its best annual performance since 2003.
· Bitcoin fell Thursday after the South Korean Financial Services Commission took more steps to limit speculation in cryptocurrency trading in the country.
The digital currency hit a low of $13,611.86, down 11 percent on the day, according to CoinDesk's bitcoin price index, which tracks prices from four exchanges. Bitcoin traded near $14,000 midday Thursday, still more than 25 percent below its record high reached this month.
· The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits was unchanged last week and the underlying trend remained consistent with a tightening labor market.
U.S. workers filed 245,000 initial claims for state unemployment benefits during the week that ended Dec. 23, according to seasonally adjusted figures published by the Labor Department on Thursday. Data for the prior week was unrevized.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims edging down to 240,000 in the latest week. Last week marked the 147th straight week that claims remained below the 300,000 threshold, which is associated with a strong labor market. That is the longest such stretch since 1970, when the labor market was smaller.
· Oil prices edged up on Thursday, remaining near 2-1/2-year highs after data showed strong demand for crude imports in China and on increased U.S. refining activity that drew more crude from inventories.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 rose 20 cents to $59.84 a barrel. Brent crude futures LCOc1 settled up 28 cents at $66.72 a barrel.
· Oil prices will need to rise further for energy companies to significantly expand drilling activities, according to a survey released on Thursday by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
U.S. energy companies have added rigs and boosted production to near record levels, as oil prices have more than doubled from a low of about $26 per barrel touched in early 2016.
But prices above $60 a barrel are needed to see a significant uptick in activity, according to the survey, which questioned 134 firms headquartered in Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Louisiana.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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