The dollar was generally stronger for a second day in a row Friday, helped by another encouraging report on the U.S. housing sector.
A report from the U.S. Commerce Department showed that new home sales jumped by a more than expected 6.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 433,000 in April, from the revised March rate of 407,000.
Although the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s most recent meeting showed no change to their interest rate outlook, continued improvement in the housing may compel the Fed to tighten sooner than expected, Philly Fed President Charles Plosser said earlier this week.
The dollar rose to $1.3615 versus the euro, its highest since January.
Confidence among German firms deteriorated more-than-expected in May, reports said citing Ifo survey. Business confidence fell to 110.4 in May from 111.2 in April. The score was forecast to fall to 110.9.
Afternoon gains took the dollar near Y102 versus the yen, edging further from a 4-month low of Y101 seen a few days ago.
The buck firmed a bit near $1.6820 versus the sterling, having seen little movement over the course of the week.
U.K. house prices continued to rise in May, as households expect the price of their property to rise at the strongest pace since early 2009, a combined survey by property consultancy Knight Frank and Markit Economics showed.