Forex - Dollar mixed vs. rivals after U.S. retail sales fall

Forex Pros – The U.S. dollar was mixed against the other major currencies on Wednesday, after official data showed that retail sales in the U.S.  fell more than expected in June.

During European afternoon trade, the greenback was up against the euro, with EUR/USD shedding 0.08% to hit 1.2714.

Earlier in the day, Eurostat said euro zone consumer price inflation was an annualized 1.4% in June, in line with expectations, down from 1.6% in May.

A separate report said industrial production in the euro zone rose less than expected in May.

The greenback was up against the Swiss franc, with USD/CHF gaining 0.08% to hit 1.0557.

The greenback was also up against its Australian, Canadian and New Zealand counterparts, with AUD/USD shedding 0.18% to hit 0.8818, USD/CAD rising 0.29% to hit 1.0335 and NZD/USD shedding 0.03% to hit 0.7194.

But the greenback was down against the yen and the pound, with USD/JPY shedding 0.20% to hit 88.50 and GBP/USD gaining 0.42% to hit 1.5241.

The pounds gains came after official data showed that the number of people in the U.K. claiming unemployment benefits fell more than expected in May, resulting in a 0.1% decrease in the unemployment rate in the quarter ending in May. 

The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.01%.

Later in the day, the minutes of the last meeting of the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee were due to be published and were widely expected to show a decline in the outlook for U.S. economic growth in the third and fourth quarters.