Dollar higher as strong U.S. data backs a hawkish Fed

NEW YORK, Jan 26 (Reuters) – The dollar edged higher against the euro on Thursday after data showed the U.S. economy maintained a strong pace of growth in the fourth quarter, backing the case for the U.S. Federal Reserve to maintain its hawkish stance for longer.

Gross domestic product increased at a 2.9% annualised rate last quarter, the Commerce Department said in its advance fourth-quarter GDP growth estimate. The economy grew at a 3.2% pace in the third quarter. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast GDP rising at a 2.6% rate.

A separate report from the Labor Department showed initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 186,000 for the week ended Jan. 21.

“A somewhat mixed picture painted by the U.S. data,” said Stuart Cole, head macro economist at Equiti Capital in London.

The data point to an economy that is continuing to show resilience in the face of the rapid monetary tightening so far delivered by the…

Read more…