In the latest data release for the week ending January 4, initial jobless claims in the United States dropped by 10,000. This information, published by the U.S. Department of Labor, highlights a new figure of 201,000 claims, improving on the previous week’s count of 211,000 and beating the market forecast, which had anticipated 218,000 claims.
Delving into the specifics, the report also indicated that the seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate held steady at 1.2 percent. The Department of Labor elaborated that the advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week finishing on December 28 was 1,867,000, marking an increase of 33,000 from the prior week’s revised figure. Meanwhile, the four-week moving average saw a slight decrease, trimming down by 3,000 to settle at 1,865,500.
In terms of market impact, the U.S. Dollar Index maintained its upward momentum in response to this data, showing a gain of 0.5% for the day, standing at 109.20. This reflects a positive sentiment surrounding the dollar following the employment figures.
