Investing.com – The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. last week fell unexpectedly, 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 December 11 fell to a seasonally adjusted 420K, after falling to 423K in the preceding week, whose figure was revised up from 421K.
Analysts had expected initial jobless claims to rise to 425K in the week ending December 11.
Following the release of the data, the U.S. dollar was down against the euro, with EUR/USD rising 0.20% to hit 1.3241.
Meanwhile, the outlook for U.S. equity markets was upbeat: Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a rise of 0.06%, S&P 500 futures pointed to a gain of 0.08% and Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.19%.
In a report, the U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending December 11 fell to a seasonally adjusted 420K, after falling to 423K in the preceding week, whose figure was revised up from 421K.
Analysts had expected initial jobless claims to rise to 425K in the week ending December 11.
Following the release of the data, the U.S. dollar was down against the euro, with EUR/USD rising 0.20% to hit 1.3241.
Meanwhile, the outlook for U.S. equity markets was upbeat: Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a rise of 0.06%, S&P 500 futures pointed to a gain of 0.08% and Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.19%.