CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. dollar moved up against its most major counterparts in the European session on Friday, as the nation's job growth accelerated in February and Russia's seizure of the Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine following heavy shelling lifted the appeal of the safe-haven assets.
European stock markets fell, tracking losses in Asia, as Russian forces captured the plant and a fire had broken out at the facility following the attack.
Ukrainian authorities said that the fire at the nuclear plant has been extinguished and its radiation levels remained unaffected.
In a tweet, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that the fire at the nuclear power plant has not affected essential equipment and plant personnel is taking mitigatory actions.
Data from the Labor Department showed that U.S. employment increased much more than expected in the month of February.
The report showed non-farm payroll employment spiked by 678,000 jobs in February after surging by an upwardly revised 481,000 jobs in January.
Economists had expected employment to jump by 400,000 jobs compared to the addition of 467,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month.
With the stronger than expected job growth, the unemployment rate dipped to 3.8 percent in February from 4.0 percent in January. The unemployment rate was expected to edge down to 3.9 percent.
The currency rose against its most major counterparts in the Asian session amid risk aversion.
The greenback rebounded to 0.9210 against the franc, from a 2-day low of 0.9166 seen at 6:10 am ET. At yesterday's trading close, the pair was quoted at 0.9172. The greenback may face resistance around the 0.94 region, if it gains again.
The greenback spiked up to its highest level since May 2020 against the euro, at 1.0886. The pair was worth 1.1066 when it closed deals on Thursday. Further rally in the currency may challenge resistance around the 1.06 region.
Data from Destatis showed that Germany's exports and imports declined unexpectedly in January.
Exports were down 2.8 percent month-on-month, reversing a 1.2 percent rise in December. Shipments were expected to climb 1.0 percent.
The greenback gained 1 percent against the pound, touching a 2-1/2-month high of 1.3210. The pound-greenback pair had ended yesterday's trading session at 1.3345. The greenback is likely to locate resistance around the 1.29 level.
The greenback was up against the loonie, at a 4-day high of 1.2792. The greenback was trading at 1.2680 against the loonie at yesterday's close. Should the currency rallies again, 1.29 is possibly seen as its next resistance level.
The greenback rebounded to 0.7314 against the aussie, after falling to 0.7375 around 3:45 am ET, which was its lowest level since November 10. The greenback was worth 0.7328 per aussie at Thursday's New York session close. The greenback is seen finding resistance around the 0.70 level.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that Australia retail sales climbed a seasonally adjusted 1.8 percent on month in January - coming in at A$32.491 billion.
That follows the 4.4 percent monthly drop in January.
Against the kiwi, the greenback rebounded from a 1-1/2-month low of 0.6844 hit at 5:40 am ET and was trading at 0.6809. At Thursday's close, the pair was valued at 0.6799. Immediate resistance for the dollar is likely seen around the 0.66 level.
The greenback, meanwhile, fell to a 2-day low of 114.85 against the yen from Thursday's close of 115.45. Next key support for the currency may be located around the 112.00 level.
Data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed that the unemployment rate in Japan came in at a seasonally adjusted 2.8 percent in January.
That exceeded expectations for 2.7 percent, which would have been unchanged from the December reading.
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