|

US weekly Initial Jobless Claims decline to 201K vs. 218K expected

  • Initial Jobless Claims in the US declined by 10,000 in the week ending January 4.
  • US Dollar Index clings to daily gains above 109.00 after the data.

There were 201,000 initial jobless claims in the week ending January 4, the weekly data published by the US Department of Labor (DOL) showed on Wednesday. This print followed the previous week's print of 211,000 and came in better than the market expectation of 218,000.

Further details of the publication revealed that the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2%.

"The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending December 28 was 1,867,000, an increase of 33,000 from the previous week's revised level," the DOL noted in its press release. "The 4-week moving average was 1,865,500, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average."

Market reaction

The US Dollar Index stays in positive territory after the data and was last seen rising 0.5% on the day at 109.20.

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

AUD/USD keeps the red near 0.6950 after weak Aussie jobs data

AUD/USD holds losses near 0.6950 on disappointing Australian jobs data, extending the previous day's retracement slide from the monthly high and hitting a fresh weekly low during Thursday’s Asian session. Meanwhile, declining US bond yields drag the US Dollar away from the April 2025 high, touched after Wednesday's hot US CPI, helping limit losses for the currency pair.

USD/JPY slides back below 158.00 as USD reverses post-CPI gains

USD/JPY extends the previous day's pullback from a three-week high, attracting follow-through selling and sliding below 158.00 during Thursday's Asian session. Traders remain on high alert amid speculation that authorities will step in to prop up the Japanese Yen. The US Dollar, meanwhile, reverses Wednesday's hot CPI-led gains to April 2025 highs as US bond yields retreat on China bond-buying talk, further pressuring the pair.

Gold rebounds to $4,150 as China bond-buying reports smash US yields

Gold attracts strong buying and retests $4,150 during the Asian session on Thursday, snapping a three-day losing streak to a one-week low. Retreating US bond yields drag the US Dollar away from the April 2025 high, touched in reaction to Wednesday’s hot US CPI report, and boost the non-yielding bullion. Reports that China is quietly buying US Treasuries through Canada are smashing US Treasury bond yields and the USD.

Bitcoin falls on hot CPI: Why $80,000 support matters

Bitcoin's (BTC) most critical level to watch is near $80,000 as September's hot inflation reading pressures the crypto market, according to Glassnode. The top crypto declined within minutes of the September Consumer Price Index (CPI) release, which showed a 3.7% annual increase in headline inflation, above forecasts of 3.6%. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, came in at 2.6%.

China seems routing US Treasury holdings through Canada

According to a Bloomberg report, China seems to be moving United States securities to non-US custodian banks in other countries, masking its role in financing US deficits.

Has Bitcoin really escaped the macro forces it was built to fight?
Over 17 years ago, Satoshi Nakamoto designed Bitcoin (BTC) on the back of a global financial crisis as an alternative to the global monetary system outside the control of central banks, governments and traditional intermediaries. This raises a key question: has Bitcoin really become independent of the macroeconomic forces it was built to challenge?