· The dollar slipped for a third straight day on Thursday in thin trading, with investors hesitant to make big bets ahead of the holidays, as market participants digested a U.S. tax reform plan that so far has had limited impact on the currency.
In late trading, the dollar was slightly lower against a currency basket at 93.264 .
The euro was up modestly against the dollar at $1.1873 , having gained around 1 percent so far this week, supported by a rise in German bond yields.
The dollar was last at 113.32 yen JPY=, down slightly on the day.
· The U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in more than two years in the third quarter, powered by robust business spending, and is poised for what could be a modest lift next year from sweeping tax cuts passed by Congress this week.
While other data on Thursday showed a jump in the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week, the underlying trend in jobless claims remained consistent with a tightening labor market.
Last week marked the 146th 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.
· Republicans in the U.S. Congress on Thursday advanced stopgap legislation to keep the federal government operating past Friday when funding expires, seeking to avert a self-inflicted disaster just before the Christmas holiday season.
The House of Representatives passed a bill by a vote of 231 to 188 that would keep federal agencies humming along at current funding through Jan. 19 and prevent a shutdown that would trigger political havoc in Washington.
· Goldman Sachs Group Inc is setting up a trading desk to make markets in digital currencies like bitcoin, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Wall Street bank aims to get the business running by the end of June, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. (bloom.bg/2BgDNFb)
“In response to client interest in digital currencies, we are exploring how best to serve them,” Goldman spokesperson Michael DuVally told Reuters, declining to confirm or deny the news report.
· More than 120 countries defied President Donald Trump on Thursday and voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor. A total of 128 countries backed the resolution, which is non-binding, nine voted against and 35 abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote.
Trump’s threat appeared to have some impact, with more countries abstaining and rejecting the resolution than usually associated with Palestinian-related resolutions.
· The United Nations Security Council is due to vote on Friday on a U.S.-drafted resolution that seeks to toughen sanctions on North Korea in response to its latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch, diplomats said.
The draft, seen by Reuters on Thursday, seeks to ban nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum product exports to North Korea by capping them at 500,000 barrels a year and demand the repatriation of North Koreans working abroad within 12 months.
It would also cap crude oil supplies to North Korea at 4 million barrels a year. The United States has been calling on China to limit its oil supply to its neighbor and ally.
· Oil prices were little changed on Thursday, erasing earlier losses after the operator of Britain’s Forties pipeline in the North Sea said it was expected to restart in early January after repairs over Christmas.
Brent futures were up 20 cents, or 0.3 percent, at $64.76 a barrel by 12:32 p.m. EST (1732 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 24 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $58.33 per barrel.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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