Investing.com - The dollar remained moderately higher against other majors currencies on Friday, after the release of mixed U.S. economic reports.
Trading volumes were expected to remain thin on Friday ahead of the Christmas holiday.
The U.S. Commerce Department reported on Friday that personal spending rose more expected by 0.6% in November, while personal income missed forecasts by rising only 0.3%.
A separate report showed that U.S. durable goods orders gained 1.3% in November, confounding expectations for a 2.0% climb. Core durable goods orders, which exclude transportation items fell unexpectedly by 0.1%.
The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was up 0.12% at 92.95 by 08:45 a.m. ET (12:45 GMT).
The euro remained lower, with EUR/USD down 0.18% at 1.1853, while GBP/USD held steady at 1.33909.
The single currency came under pressure after a Catalan vote on Thursday resulted in a victory for separatists, sparking fresh concerns over political turmoil in Spain.
In the U.K., the Office for National Statistics said gross domestic product expanded by 0.4% in the third quarter, in line with first estimates. Year-over-year, UK economic growth expanded 1.7% in the third quarter.
In a less positive note, another report showed that the UK current account deficit narrowed to only £22.8 billion in the last quarter from £25.8 billion in the three months to June. Analysts had expected the current account deficit to narrow to £21.2 billion in the third quarter.
The yen was little changed, with USD/JPY at 113.38, while USD/CHF added 0.15% to 0.9899.
Elsewhere, the Australian dollar remained stronger, with AUD/USD up 0.18% at 0.7716, while NZD/USD edged down 0.17% to 0.7006.
Meanwhile, USD/CAD rose 0.27% to 1.2776 after Statistics Canada reported that the economy stagnated in October, disappointing expectations for a growth rate of 0.2%. Canada's gross economic product expanded by 0.2% in the previous month.