Investing.com – The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. last week fell unexpectedly, dropping to their lowest in three months, official data showed on Thursday.
In a report, the U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending October 23 fell to a seasonally adjusted 434K, after falling to 455K in the preceding week, whose figure was revised up from 452K.
Analysts had expected initial jobless claims to remain unchanged at 455K in the week ending October 23.
Following the release of the data, the U.S. dollar was down against the euro, with EUR/USD gaining 0.82% to hit 1.3882.
Meanwhile, the outlook for U.S. equity markets was upbeat: Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a gain of 0.44%, S&P 500 futures pointed to an increase of 0.59%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a rise of 0.43%.
In a report, the U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending October 23 fell to a seasonally adjusted 434K, after falling to 455K in the preceding week, whose figure was revised up from 452K.
Analysts had expected initial jobless claims to remain unchanged at 455K in the week ending October 23.
Following the release of the data, the U.S. dollar was down against the euro, with EUR/USD gaining 0.82% to hit 1.3882.
Meanwhile, the outlook for U.S. equity markets was upbeat: Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a gain of 0.44%, S&P 500 futures pointed to an increase of 0.59%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a rise of 0.43%.