FOREX-Dollar up broadly on encouraging U.S. data

* Dollar buoyed by strong U.S. economic data

* Market gives EU leaders time to resolve debt problem

* Stellar China GDP stokes rate-tightening speculation (Recasts, updates prices, adds comment, detail, byline)

By Steven C. Johnson

NEW YORK, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The dollar rose on Thursday as better-than-expected housing and employment data suggested the U.S. economy was improving, though hopes Europe was getting a handle on its debt crisis limited euro selling.

Worries that China will try to choke off excessive growth with higher interest rates also boosted the greenback by sparking a sharp decline in the Australian and New Zealand dollars. Australia exports natural resources to China, which makes its currency sensitive to China's economic outlook. For details, see [ID:nN20126733]

The U.S. dollar has struggled against major currencies in recent weeks and some say that decline coupled with signs of stronger U.S. growth may spark a near-term rally.

A sharp rise in existing U.S. home sales and a decline in first-time jobless applications was a hopeful sign as high unemployment and a depressed housing market are the biggest obstacles to a robust recovery. [ID:nN20105802]

"We are finally seeing some growth and we have to at least think about when the Federal Reserve will (tighten) policy, even though it won't happen soon," said Jens Nordvig, global head of G10 FX strategy at Nomura.

As such, "it's possible to make money from a broad-based dollar exposure through a basket including yen, the Aussie and Canadian dollars and sterling," he said. The greenback has struggled against all those currencies in recent months.

Signs of stronger growth also pushed bond yields higher on Thursday, helping the dollar rise 1.2 percent to 83.03 yen <JPY=> and 1.3 percent to 0.9670 Swiss francs <CHF=>.

The euro fell as low as $1.3396, though it recovered to $1.3460 <EUR=EBS>, unchanged on the day, and was within striking distance of Wednesday's two-month high of $1.3539.

The Aussie <AUD=D4> fell 1.4 percent to $0.9860 while the New Zealand currency shed 1.8 percent to $0.7555 <NZD=D4>.

STILL EURO UPSIDE

Among major currencies, the euro did best in holding its ground against the greenback on Thursday. Sentiment has lately favored the single currency, with persistent demand from sovereign accounts affording euro-zone officials time to make progress on finding a sustainable solution to a debt crisis.

Euro zone officials were said to be considering letting the European Financial Stability Facility, the bloc's bailout fund, purchase or help finance the purchase of government debt from troubled euro-zone nations. [ID:nLDE70J0CB]

That has helped ease selling pressure on debt from Portugal and Spain. Technical analysts said the euro's ability to rebound from a brief dip below its $1.3435 100-day moving average was a bullish sign.

Investors still worry that high financing needs in Spain and Portugal could push both to seek emergency rescue funds. Ratings agency Fitch said more bailouts of the sort given to Ireland and Greece is still a high risk. [ID:nLDE70J206] But if euro zone leaders manage to get things under control, investor anxiety may shift elsewhere.

"If the market starts to sense that Spain risk is lower, then all of a sudden....it's going to be back to (thinking) what's the one country in the world that has yet to come up with a fiscal adjustment, and that's the United States," said Kevin Daly, who helps oversee about $6 billion in assets at Aberdeen Asset Management. "That's when the euro starts to go back up." (Additional reporting by Julie Haviv and Wanfeng Zhou in New York; editing by Andrew Hay)