NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The dollar advanced against major rivals Thursday as investors looked to the buck for its safe haven appeal ahead of the February jobs data due Friday.
What prices are doing: The dollar rose 0.8% against the euro to $1.3585 and climbed 0.4% against the pound to $1.5036. The greenback spiked 0.8% against the yen to ¥89.12.
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The dollar lost ground Wednesday against major currencies after Greece announced cost-cutting measures and revenue generators to reduce its deficit this year.
What's moving the market: The number of Americans that filed for first-time unemployment insurance last week fell to 469,000 last week, after spiking the previous week due to severe winter weather. Economists expected jobless claims to drop to 470,000.
The figure came ahead of the highly anticipated February jobs report due Friday. Economists expect that employers shed 65,000 jobs during the month and that the unemployment rate will tick up to 9.8% from 9.7% in January.
European currencies were pressured after central banks left interest rates unchanged.
The Bank of England announced it will continue to hold interest rates steady at record lows of 0.5%, and confirmed it will not be expanding its quantitative easing program, which the central bank uses to purchase assets.
The European Central Bank also held its benchmark interest rate steady at 1% as expected. ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet warned of uneven growth in the euro zone, which further pressured the euro.
What analysts are saying: Traders are fleeing from high-yield currencies, as concerns over Greece's debt problems linger despite the country's plans to reduce its deficit, said Dean Popplewell, chief currency strategist at Oanda Corp.
"There are a lot of variables in Europe that are weighing on the euro, which is sending the dollar higher," he said.
Popplewell added investors are also unwinding positions from risky assets as they shift their focus to the February jobs data due Friday. 
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.80% | 3.88% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 3.20% | 3.23% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 3.84% | 3.88% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.82% | 3.93% | |
| 15 yr refi | 3.20% | 3.23% |
Today's featured rates:
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 32,627.97 | -234.33 | -0.71% |
| Nasdaq | 13,215.24 | 99.07 | 0.76% |
| S&P 500 | 3,913.10 | -2.36 | -0.06% |
| Treasuries | 1.73 | 0.00 | 0.12% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Motor Co | 8.29 | 0.05 | 0.61% |
| Advanced Micro Devic... | 54.59 | 0.70 | 1.30% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 47.49 | -2.44 | -4.89% |
| General Electric Co | 13.00 | -0.16 | -1.22% |
| Kraft Heinz Co | 27.84 | -2.20 | -7.32% |
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