Investing.com - U.S. factory orders rose more than expected at the start of 2017, official data showed on Friday.
In a report, the U.S. Census Bureau said factory orders increased by a seasonally adjusted 1.2% in January, above forecasts for a gain of 1.0%. Factory orders gained 1.3% in December.
Factory orders excluding transportation gained 0.3% in January, lower than the prior month’s 2.4% increase that was upwardly revised from an initial 2.1% advance.
Immediately following the report, EUR/USD was trading at 1.0603 from 1.0600 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.2262 from 1.2265 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 113.74 compared to 113.81 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 101.47 compared to 101.49 previously.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets traded lower after the open. The Dow 30 fell 0.2%, the S&P 500 lost 0.42%, while the Nasdaq Composite trade down 0.52%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,232.00 a troy ounce, compared to $1,231.40 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $53.23 a barrel from $53.24 earlier.