UK ILO Unemployment Rate rose to 3.7% in October vs. 3.7% expected

The Unemployment Rate in the UK arrived at 3.7% in October.
UK Claimant Count Change came in at +30.5K in November.
The UK wages excluding bonuses rose by 6.1% YoY in October vs. 5.9% expected.

Dhwani Mehta FXStreet

According to the latest data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Tuesday, the UK’s ILO Unemployment Rate rose from 3.6% to 3.7% in October vs. the 3.7% expected while the claimant count change showed an unexpected jump in the reported month.

The number of people claiming jobless benefits leaped by 30.5K in November when compared to -6.4K booked previously and -13.3K expectations.

The UK’s average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, arrived at +6.1% 3Mo/YoY in October versus +5.8% last and +5.9% expected while the gauge including bonuses came in at +6.1% 3Mo/YoY in October versus +6.0% previous and +6.2% expected.

Key points (via ONS)

“Payrolled employment increased by 107,000 employees (0.4%) in November 2022 when compared with October 2022, though this should be treated as a provisional estimate and is likely to be revised when more data are received next month.”

"The UK November Payrolls Change 107k vs 74k prior."

GBP/USD reaction

GBP/USD remains unfazed by the mixed UK employment data, adding 0.20% on the day to trade near 1.2300, as of writing.

About UK jobs

The UK Average Earnings released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is a key short-term indicator of how levels of pay are changing within the UK economy. Generally speaking, positive earnings growth anticipates positive (or bullish) for the GBP, whereas a low reading is seen as negative (or bearish).

Author

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

EUR/USD advances as US-Iran peace deal weighs on US Dollar

EUR/USD rises after registering minor losses in the previous day, trading around 1.1610 during the Asian hours on Monday. The pair appreciates as the US Dollar declines amid easing risk aversion following the reports that the United States and Iran agree on a peace deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

GBP/USD hovers around 1.3400 as investors await war clarity

GBP/USD remains near its daily open, not far from 1.3400, in the second half of Friday's session. The US Dollar lost its previous intraday strength and weakens as investors await clarity on the US-Iran war.

Gold rises to weekly high as US, Iran reach peace deal

Gold price rises to a weekly high during the Asian trading hours on Monday. The precious metal rebounds after the United States and Iran had reached a deal to end their conflict, easing concerns about inflation and higher interest rates.

Week ahead: Central bank barrage ahead: Fed, BoJ, RBA, SNB and BoE in focus

The US dollar outperformed most of its major counterparts this week, with investors remaining convinced that the Fed may need to press the rate hike button before the end of this year. Fed hike bets were significantly bolstered after the US jobs report for May came in much stronger than expected, with nonfarm payrolls rising to 172k and confounding expectations of a much more modest 85k gain.

SpaceX launches 24% higher at Friday debut

Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX), aka SpaceX, zoomed 24% higher soon after the start of its first IPO trading day on Friday. Shares of the rocket and artificial intelligence (AI) company founded by Elon Musk began trading at about 11:46 am EST and quickly gained speed.

4.2% headline, 0.2% core: Why the Fed's next hike may be targeting the wrong problem

May's CPI put headline inflation at 4.2% on the year, up from 3.8% in April and the hottest reading since April 2023, while core prices rose just 0.2% on the month, undershooting the 0.3% consensus and halving April's pace.