* U.S. retail sales, jobless claims show strong economy
* Euro hurt by weak manufacturing data (Updates prices)
By Karen Brettell
NEW YORK, April 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar gained to its strongest level against the euro in over a week on Thursday as data pointed to a sturdy U.S. economy, while the euro was dented by weak manufacturing activity in Europe.
U.S. retail sales increased by the most in 1-1/2 years in March as households boosted purchases of motor vehicles and a range of other goods, the latest indication that economic growth picked up in the first quarter after a false start. economy's enduring strength was underscored by other data on Thursday showing the number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits dropped to the lowest in nearly 50 years last week.
The picture was less bullish in the euro zone as data showed that activity in Germany's manufacturing sector shrank for a fourth straight month in April, while a similar survey from France also painted a bleak picture. the space of several hours we got a timely reminder that the growth leadership is very decisively in favor of the U.S. dollar,” said Richard Franulovich, head of FX strategy at Westpac Banking Corp in New York.
Investors have been looking for signs that global growth is stabilizing after a slowdown.
"Investors are worried about the health of the global economy and the eurozone and the fortunes of the euro are closely tied with that," said Ricardo Evangelista, a senior analyst at ActivTrades in London.
A week ago, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi raised the prospect of more support for the struggling euro zone economy if its slowdown persist. bid prices at 1:52PM (1752 GMT) Description
RIC
Last
U.S. Close Pct
YTD Pct High Bid
Low Bid
Previous
Change Change
Session
Euro/Dollar
$1.1228
$1.1294
-0.58
-2.10
+1.1305
+1.1227 Dollar/Yen
111.9400 112.0500
-0.10
+1.52
+112.0700 +111.7800 Euro/Yen
EURJPY=
125.67
126.54
-0.69
-0.44
+126.6000 +125.6500 Dollar/Swiss
CHF=
1.0153
1.0103
+0.49
+3.45
+1.0159
+1.0093 Sterling/Dollar GBP=
1.2987
1.3043
-0.43
+1.80
+1.3053
+1.2980 Dollar/Canadian CAD=
1.3378
1.3338
+0.30
-1.90
+1.3399
+1.3336 Australian/Doll AUD=
0.7143
0.7178
-0.49
+1.33
+0.7199
+0.7137 ar
Euro/Swiss
EURCHF=
1.1400
1.1414
-0.12
+1.30
+1.1422
+1.1367 Euro/Sterling
EURGBP=
0.8645
0.8657
-0.14
-3.77
+0.8669
+0.8637 NZ
NZD=
0.6674
0.6726
-0.77
-0.64
+0.6730
+0.6673 Dollar/Dollar
Dollar/Norway
8.5229
8.4911
+0.37
-1.34
+8.5597
+8.4867 Euro/Norway
EURNOK=
9.5710
9.5976
-0.28
-3.38
+9.6314
+9.5700 Dollar/Sweden
SEK=
9.3132
9.2466
+0.11
+3.90
+9.3350
+9.2391 Euro/Sweden
EURSEK=
10.4593
10.4475
+0.11
+1.90
+10.5034
+10.4400