The dollar weakened against major rivals at the end of a light session as traders wound down positions ahead of the holiday weekend.

The dollar index, which measures the US currency against a basket of six others, slipped to 77.867 from 77.888 the previous session.

For the month of December, the index rose 3.6% on the back of upbeat economic data but recorded an annual loss of just over 4%.

Record low US interest rates have pressured the dollar and the Federal Reserve is expected to keep its key interest rate close to zero for some time in a bid to boost the economy.

The euro was down at $1.4331 on Thursday but is up 2.5% against the dollar for the year. The greenback closed out the year nearly 2% higher against the yen.

The dollar eased against the pound to $1.6192 on Thursday.