U.S. dollar declines amid data, Fed statement

The U.S. dollar slumped against other major currencies on Friday as investors were digesting the recent Federal Reserve statement and fresh housing data from the country.

The U.S. central bank announced to keep interest rate unchanged in a statement released on Wednesday after its two-day policy meeting.

According to the statement, Fed officials gave mixed assessment about the U.S. economy, saying that the labor market has slowed its improvement pace, while growth in economic activity appeared to have picked up since April.

On the economic front, U.S. privately-owned housing starts in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.164 million units, 0.3 percent below the revised April estimate, according to the U.S. Commerce Department Friday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, was down 0.48 percent at 94.111 in late trading.

In late New York trading, the euro rose to 1.1285 dollars from 1.1239 dollars of the previous session, and the British pound increased to 1.4369 dollars from 1.4233 dollars. The Australian dollar went up to 0.7400 dollars from 0.7371 dollars.

The dollar bought 104.19 Japanese yen, lower than 104.38 yen of the previous session. The dollar dipped to 0.9593 Swiss francs from 0.9647 Swiss francs, and it inched down to 1.2864 Canadian dollars from 1.2941 Canadian dollars. Enditem