The euro stood near a three-week high against the US dollar on Thursday as forex traders dismissed broad bets against the single currency ahead of the first round of the French presidential elections on Sunday.
The dollar shook off early weakness to trade little changed against a basket of major currencies as the latest data on domestic jobless claims and business activity in the mid-Atlantic region did not change traders' views of modest U.S. economic growth and low inflation.
EUR/USD was slightly higher by 0.09 percent at 1.0719 after hitting a three-week high of 1.0777 earlier in the session.
The greenback was pressured this week by a resurgent sterling after British Prime Minister Theresa May called an early general election ahead of Brexit negotiations. GBP/USD rose 0.29 percent to 1.2814.
Meanwhile, commodity currencies, including the Aussie and the New Zealand dollars recovered ground against the greenback. Canada's dollar steadied after falling on Wednesday amid weakness in commodity markets.
