Investing.com - The number of job openings in the U.S. rose more than expected in January, remaining in territory consistent with an improving labor market, official data showed on Tuesday.
In a report, the U.S. Labor Department said that the number of job openings, excluding the farming industry, increased to 5.541 million in January from 5.281 million a month earlier. Analysts had expected the number of job openings to rise to 5.500 million.
The report has garnered more attention lately, as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen often cites the survey when assessing the state of the labor market.
EUR/USD was trading at 1.1317 from around 1.1336 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.4491 from 1.4480 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 111.41 from 111.43 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 94.73, compared to 94.78 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were mostly lower after the open. The Dow 30 shed 0.1%, the S&P 500 inched down 0.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite dipped 0.4%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,266.40 a troy ounce, compared to $1,265.90 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $39.42 a barrel from $39.30 earlier.