The euro pulled off 8-month lows against the dollar on Thursday after the bloc's private sector expanded at its fastest rate in three months in July, and emerging equities hovered near 17-month highs after strong Chinese data, Reuters reported. European stocks edged up too after digesting Markit's Composite Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) of companies across the euro zone and a good early indicator of overall growth. The overall index rose to 54.0 in July from 52.8, its highest since April. Any number above 50 indicates expansion. The euro hit the day's highs at $1.3471, pulling off eight-month lows, while the dollar index dropped from an earlier six-week peak. Against the yen, the U.S. dollar idled at 101.49. European stocks rose 0.2 percent, reversing earlier losses on mixed earnings data and relatively weak manufacturing data from France, the euro zone's second largest economy. Safe-haven gold eased to 1,297.50 an ounce, close to earlier one-week lows. Crude oil prices ran into renewed selling after a bounce on Wednesday. Brent crude for September delivery fell 26 cents to $107.77 a barrel, while U.S. crude lost 34 cents to $102.77.
