|

US: Weekly Initial Jobless Claims jump to 261K, highest level since October 2021

  • Initial Jobless Claims in the US rose by 28,000 in the week ending June 3, to the highest level since October 2021. 
  • Continuing Jobless Claims decreased by 37,000 in the week ending May 27, to the lowest since February. 
  • US Dollar Index drops to fresh daily lows after report. 

Initial Jobless claims totaled 261,000 in the week ending June 3, the weekly data published by the US Department of Labor (DOL) showed on Thursday. The print follows the previous week's 233,000 and came in above market expectations of 235,000. It is the highest reading since October 2021. 

“The 4-week moving average was 237,250, an increase of 7,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 229,500 to 229,750”, the DOL added in its press release. 

Continuing Claims declined by 37,000 in the week ended May 27 to 1.757 million below market estimates of 1.8 million. It is the lowest reading since February. The 4-week moving average was 1.784 million a decrease of 12K from the previous week's average.

Market reaction: 

The US Dollar Index extended its losses after the report, falling to fresh daily lows below 103.70. The EUR/USD rose towards 1.0750, and the USD/JPY dropped further below 139.50.
 

Author

Matías Salord

Matías started in financial markets in 2008, after graduating in Economics. He was trained in chart analysis and then became an educator. He also studied Journalism. He started writing analyses for specialized websites before joining FXStreet.

More from Matías Salord
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD drops to daily lows near 1.1630

EUR/USD now loses some traction and slips back to the area of daily lows around 1.1630 on the back of a mild bounce in the US Dollar. Fresh US data, including the September PCE inflation numbers and the latest read on December consumer sentiment, didn’t really move the needle, so the pair is still on course to finish the week with a respectable gain.

GBP/USD trims gains, recedes toward 1.3320

GBP/USD is struggling to keep its daily advance, coming under fresh pressure and retreating to the 1.3320 zone following a mild bullish attempt in the Greenback. Even though US consumer sentiment surprised to the upside, the US Dollar isn’t getting much love, as traders are far more interested in what the Fed will say next week.

Gold makes a U-turn, back to $4,200

Gold is now losing the grip and receding to the key $4,200 region per troy ounce following some signs of life in the Greenback and a marked bounce in US Treasury yields across the board. The positive outlook for the precious metal, however, remains underpinned by steady bets for extra easing by the Fed.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP pare gains despite increasing hopes of upcoming Fed rate cut

Bitcoin is steadying above $91,000 at the time of writing on Friday. Ethereum remains above $3,100, reflecting positive sentiment ahead of the Federal Reserve's (Fed) monetary policy meeting on December 10.

Week ahead – Rate cut or market shock? The Fed decides

Fed rate cut widely expected; dot plot and overall meeting rhetoric also matter. Risk appetite is supported by Fed rate cut expectations; cryptos show signs of life. RBA, BoC and SNB also meet; chances of surprises are relatively low.

Ripple faces persistent bear risks, shrugging off ETF inflows

Ripple is extending its decline for the second consecutive day, trading at $2.06 at the time of writing on Friday. Sentiment surrounding the cross-border remittance token continues to lag despite steady inflows into XRP spot ETFs.