Investing.com - Manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia-region fell less than expected in September, official data showed on Thursday.
In a report, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said that its manufacturing index surged to 23.8 this month from August’s reading of 18.9. Analysts had expected the index to decline to 17.2.
On the index, a reading above 0.0 indicates improving conditions, below indicates worsening conditions.
With regard to future activity in the sector, new orders improved to 29.5, compared to the August's reading of 20.4.
The employment index decreased to 6.6 in September, compared to a prior reading of 10.1 and indicating a slower pace of hiring.
Following the report, that was released simultaneously with weekly jobless claims, EUR/USD was trading at 1.1914 from around 1.1915 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.3501 from 1.3498 earlier, while USD/JPY was unchanged at 112.39.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was unchanged at 92.19.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures pointed to a flat to lower open. The Dow futures dropped 13 points, or 0.06%, the S&P 500 futures slipped 2 points, or 0.06%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures edged down 5 points, or 0.09%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,292.97 a troy ounce, compared to $1,295.73 ahead of the data, while crude oil was at $50.27 a barrel, compared to $50.24 before the release.