"A move above $1.1210.. and the 200-day moving average is needed to boost confidence that a low is in place," said Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at Bannockburn Global Forex. On Thursday, the single currency briefly gained 0.5% to $1.1140 before trimming some gains to stand 0.4% up at $1.1112. The euro's surge washed over into currencies that extended gains against the struggling dollar.
Sterling surged more than 1% and British share prices rallied on Thursday on the Brexit deal news. Against a basket of its rivals, the greenback fell 0.4% to 97.496, its lowest since late-August. The dollar also suffered in early London trading due to weak US data. US retail sales fell for the first time in seven months in September while a report from the US Federal Reserve described the economy's progress in cautious terms.
Elsewhere, the Norwegian crown weakened to an all-time low of 10.1800 against the euro. Some analysts blamed the crown's recent weakness on global trade jitters, while others said the speed and magnitude of the drop were hard to explain. The Australian dollar held near the day's highs, up 0.3% against the dollar after jobs data showed buoyant hiring, lowering chances of monetary easing in November.