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The euro remained under pressure versus the dollar on Thursday, coming close to its lowest levels since last May before finding a modicum of support.
Saddled by debt problems and sluggish euro area economic growth, the single currency has fallen sharply over the past few months, particularly against its US counterpart.
Most of today's losses for the euro came before the release of a mixed bag of economic data from the US. A discouraging jobless claims report fueled speculation that the employment situation may not be improving as quickly as some had hoped.
The euro slipped to 1.3539 in very early dealing, coming within a whisker of last week's 9-month low of 1.3531. Later, the euro was able to briefly fight back above 1.3600.
The euro held its ground versus the yen on Thursday, firming up a bit as US stocks turned positive. Bolstered by risk appetite, the higher-yielding euro improved to 124.20, staying away from a yearly low of 121.20 reached earlier this month.
In economic news from the euro land, Germany's Federal Statistical Office announced that the number of employed persons stood at 40.57 million in the fourth quarter, up from 40.33 million in the previous quarter.
Back in the US, manufacturing conditions have continued to improve in the mid-Atlantic region in February, with orders jumping to the highest level in more than five years and inventories picking up for the first time since 2007.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia index of manufacturing activity remaining positive for the sixth consecutive month, further evidence that factories are leading the broader economic rebound.
However, first-time claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly increased in the week ended February 13th, with the data likely to offset some of the recent optimism about the outlook for the labor market.
The report from the Labor Department on Thursday showed that initial jobless claims rose to 473,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 442,000.
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