The greenback recovered against most currencies after the data, with the euro and sterling hitting three-month lows and the yen touching session troughs
The U.S. dollar index - which measures the currency against six major counterparts - was up 0.63% at 104.81. The index hit a near 6-month high of 104.85 earlier in the session
After briefly poking above $0.60, the New Zealand dollar traded at $0.5953 on Thursday, while the Aussie was firm at $0.6418. Both have been hit hard by fears of a deepening malaise in China s economy, and are set for their worst monthly drops since February, with falls larger than 3.5%.
That view gained more traction in the wake of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell on Friday suggesting that further rate increases may be needed to cool still-too-high inflation, though his promise to move with care at upcoming meetings provided for some uncertainty.