* Euro slips on profit-taking after surge
* Some see chance of more short-covering if resistance broken
* Soft U.S. jobless claims data weighs on dollar
TOKYO, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The euro slipped on Friday after staging its biggest surge in six months the previous day on solid debt sales by Spain and tough talk on inflation by the European Central Bank chief.
Speculation that European policy-makers may top up their war chest against attacks on euro zone sovereign debt is adding fuel to short-covering even though many market players suspect worries about the solvency of peripheral euro zone members will persist.
"The euro's latest rise is nothing more than short-covering from overselling late last year on an excessively bearish view on the euro zone. Given that the fiscal problems in the region are unresolved, investors will be cautious about chasing the currency higher," said Tsutomu Soma, manager of foreign securities at Okasan Securities.
The euro changed hands at $1.3330 EUR=, off Thursday's high of $1.3383 as some traders quickly took profits from its hefty gains. The euro has risen more than 3 percent so far this week from a four-month low of $1.2960 hit at the start of the week.
Its 55-day moving average, which was $1.3389 on Thursday and $1.3378 on Friday, is serving as immediate resistance, though a break of that level could spark another wave of short-covering.
If that happens, levels just above $1.34 could be the next hurdle, which would be a 38.2 percent retracement of the November-January slide. The pair's Ichimoku cloud base also comes in at $1.3410.
The euro also stayed near a three-week high of 110.67 yen EURJPY=R hit on Thursday.
Strong demand in Spain's bond auction on Thursday, a day after a solid Portuguese debt sale, helped ease pressure on peripheral bond markets. [ID:nLDE70C0KF]
ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet also said prices needed to be monitored very closely after euro zone inflation jumped last month, hinting the bank could raise interest rates to contain inflation even while the bloc is gripped by a debt crisis. [ID:nLDE70C26B]
His comments surprised market players, who had expected the bank to take a more dovish line at a time when some euro zone countries are facing strains in fund-raising.
Analysts said the euro may see some support on speculation that European policy-makers could be ready to increase the size and scope of a resue fund.
Some market players also said weak U.S. jobless claims data had hurt the dollar, indirectly helping the euro. The initial jobless claims rose to a 10-week high and sent U.S. bond yields lower. [ID:nN13271305]
"When you look at the market yesterday, the dollar was broadly weak after the initial jobless claims data. So you could argue that the market may be starting to focus on the U.S. economy, at least temporarily," said Junya Tanase, a strategist at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank.
Lower U.S. bond yields helped bring down the dollar to a one-week low of 82.55 yen on Thursday. It traded at 82.73 yen JPY= on Friday.
Traders said the dollar was capped by Japanese exporters' offers lined up at 83.50-84.50 yen, though bids by Japanese investors could be expected near 82 yen. (Reporting by Chikako Mogi and Hideyuki Sano; Editing by Michael Watson)
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