|

US: 2.1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week

  • Initial Jobless Claims in US came in at 2.12 million in week ending May 23.
  • US Dollar Index posts small daily losses below 99.00.

There were 2,123,000 Initial Claims for unemployment benefits in the US during the week ending May 23rd, the data published by the US Department of Labor (DOL) revealed on Thursday. This reading came in slightly worse than the market expectation of 2.1 million.

Additional takeaways

"The 4-week moving average was 2,608,000, a decrease of 436,000 from the previous week's revised average."

"The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 14.5% for the week ending May 16, a decrease of 2.6 percentage points from the previous week's revised rate."

" The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending May 16 was 21,052,000, a decrease of 3,860,000 from the previous week's revised level."

Market reaction 

The US Dollar Index largely ignored this data and was last seen losing 0.05% on the day at 98.90.

Author

Eren Sengezer

As an economist at heart, Eren Sengezer specializes in the assessment of the short-term and long-term impacts of macroeconomic data, central bank policies and political developments on financial assets.

More from Eren Sengezer
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD stays below 1.1850 after dismal German sentiment data

EUR/USD stays in negative territory below 1.1850 in the second half of the day on Tuesday. Renewed US Dollar strength, combined with a softer risk tone keep the pair undermined alongside downbeat German ZEW sentiment readings for February. 

GBP/USD falls toward 1.3550, pressured by weak UK jobs report

GBP/USD remains under bearish pressure and extends its decline below 1.3600 on Tuesday. The United Kingdom employment data suggested worsening labor market conditions, bolstering bets for a BoE interest rate cut next month and making it difficult for Pound Sterling to stay resilient against its peers.

Gold recovers modestly, stays deep in red below $4,950

Gold (XAU/USD) stages a rebound but remains deep in negative territory below $4,950 after touching its weakest level in over a week near $4,850 earlier in the day. Renewed US Dollar strength makes it difficult for XAU/USD to gather recovery momentum despite the risk-averse market atmosphere.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP upside looks limited amid deteriorating retail demand

The cryptocurrency market extends weakness with major coins including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP) trading in sideways price action at the time of writing on Tuesday.

UK jobs market weakens, bolstering rate cut hopes

In the UK, the latest jobs report made for difficult reading. Nonetheless, this represents yet another reminder for the Bank of England that they need to act swiftly given the collapse in inflation expected over the coming months. 

Stellar mixed sentiment caps recovery

Stellar price remains under pressure, trading at $0.170 on Tuesday after failing to close above the key resistance on Sunday. The derivatives metric supports the bearish sentiment, with XLM’s short bets rising among traders and funding rates turning negative.