The euro held above the $1.32 level Thursday after December U.S. retail sales, excluding autos, were slightly below economists’ forecasts while jobless claims rose higher than expected.

Early morning in New York, the euro was trading around $1.3242, up from $1.3225 shortly prior to the reports, but down nearly 0.1 percent from levels late reached in the prior session in New York.

U.S. retail sales jumped 1.2 percent in December, but first-time jobless claims posted a surprise climb and import prices dipped more than anticipated, government reports showed on Thursday.

The rise in retail sales in December was fueled by strong sales at auto dealers, furniture stores and online retailers, a Commerce Department report said. Retail sales in all of 2004 jumped 8.0 percent, the biggest gain since 1999.

Excluding autos, retail sales rose 0.3 percent, 8.6 percent over a year ago. Analysts had expected a 1.0 percent rise in December retail sales and a 0.4 percent gain excluding autos.

Meanwhile, the number of Americans filing initial claims for jobless pay grew unexpectedly last week to 367,000, the highest since late September, the Labor Department reported. However, the number of those continuing to file claims fell to their lowest level since mid-2001.