1st LD Writethru: U.S. dollar rises amid upbeat data

The U.S. dollar increased against other major currencies Friday as the economic data from the country came out better than expected.

The seasonally adjusted U.S. flash Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) registered 54 in October, up from 53.1 in September and well above the neutral 50 threshold, according to the data provider Markit Friday. The latest reading beat market consensus of 53 and pointed to the fastest upturn in manufacturing activity since May.

The euro dropped further against the greenback Friday as the prospect of more stimulus in the euro zone continued to weigh on the shared currency.

In the previous session, the European Central Bank President Mario Draghi suggested that the bank may inject fresh monetary stimulus into the region in December to combat weak inflation.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major currencies, was up 0.76 percent at 97.114 in late trading.

In late New York trading, the euro fell to 1.1006 dollars from 1.1112 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound declined to 1.5323 dollars from 1.5389 U.S. dollars in the previous session. The Australian dollar decreased to 0.7211 U.S. dollar from 0.7212 dollar.

The U.S. dollar bought 121.40 Japanese yen, higher than 120.71 yen of the previous session. The U.S. dollar climbed to 0.9795 Swiss franc from 0.9737 Swiss franc and went up to 1.3183 Canadian dollars from 1.3101 Canadian dollars. Endit