Dollar Steady Before Data; Yen Slips Despite GDP Surprise

A woman counts Japanese 10,000 yen notes in Tokyo, in this Feb. 28, 2013 picture illustration. Shohei Miyano/Reuters

LONDON/TOKYO—The dollar held steady on Thursday as investors waited for data on U.S. retail sales and jobless claims, while the yen climbed despite the Japanese economy falling into a recession.

The dollar index, which measures the currency against six peers, was very slightly lower at 104.64, just below a three-month high of 104.97 touched on Wednesday.