|

US: Weekly Initial Jobless Claims rise to 229K vs. 210K expected

  • Weekly initial jobless claims rose to 229K, above expected. 
  • Currency markets did not react, given they are more focused on the ECB right now. 

There were 229,000 initial jobless claims in the week ending on 4 June, above the prior week's reading of 202,000 and expectations for a rise to 210,000. That pushed the four-week average higher to 215,000 from 207,000 a week earlier. 

Continued jobless claims in the US in the week ending 28 May remained unchanged versus one week earlier at 1.306M, almost bang in line with market expectations. That meant the insured unemployment rate remained unchanged at 0.9%. 

Market Reaction

Currency markets did not react to the latest US weekly jobless claims figures and are instead much more focused on the ECB right now. 

Author

Joel Frank

Joel Frank

Independent Analyst

Joel Frank is an economics graduate from the University of Birmingham and has worked as a full-time financial market analyst since 2018, specialising in the coverage of how developments in the global economy impact financial asset

More from Joel Frank
Share:

Editor's Picks

AUD/USD meets fresh supply and tests 0.7100 amid weak Australian PMIs

AUD/USD has come under fresh selling pressure and is testing 0.7100 in the Asian session on Wednesday. Australia's flash PMIs showed manufacturing slipped into contraction and services expanding slowly for a second straight month, renewing the pair's downside. Furthermore, a bullish US Dollar acts as a headwind for the pair as traders keenly await the crucial Trump-Xi summit on Thursday. Meanwhile, markets shrug off US-Iran indirect talks.

USD/JPY stands firm near mid-157.00s, close to two-week high

USD/JPY hovers around mid-157.00s in the Asian session on Wednesday, near two-week highs touched last Friday as the BoJ's dovish rate hike continues to undermine the Japanese Yen. Meanwhile, the US Dollar remains firm amid the Fed's hawkish stance, adding support to the pair, though JPY intervention fears cap further gains. Markets pay little heed to the completion of the round of US-Iran indirect talks ahead of Trump-Xi meeting.

Gold approaches $4,300 as Fed hike bets boost USD to fresh high since late July

Gold extends its steady intraday slide through the first half of the European session, reversing a part of the previous day's recovery from sub-$4,300 levels. US Dollar buying remains unabated on the back of the Federal Reserve's hawkish outlook, which is seen as a key factor driving flows away from the non-yielding yellow metal.

Bitcoin outperforms US equities and Gold since mid-August
Bitcoin (BTC) extends its rally, trading above $86,000 at the time of writing on Wednesday after gaining more than 6% so far this week. Strong institutional demand is supporting BTC’s bullish price action, with spot Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) recording over $714 million in inflows on Tuesday after nearly $1 billion in positive flows the previous day.
S&P Global PMIs expected to show resilient US economic growth in September
S&P Global will release on Wednesday its preliminary September Purchasing Managers' Indices (PMIs) for the United States, based on surveys of top private sector executives, to provide an early indication of economic momentum. The data is expected to highlight US economic resilience.
BoJ Recap: Not as hawkish as expected

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) raised its short-term interest-rate target to 1.25% from 1.00% in a 7-2 vote, marking another step in the normalisation of monetary policy and widely matching what everyone has been expecting for weeks.