Investing.com - The number of job openings in the U.S. rose more than expected in December, 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 5.607 million in December from 5.346 million a month earlier. Analysts had expected the number of job openings to rise to 5.400 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 1.1263 from around 1.1275 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.4426 from 1.4417 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 115.24 compared to 115.06 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 95.22, compared to 96.15 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were mixed after the open. The Dow 30 shed 0.1%, the S&P 500 inched up 0.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite tacked on 0.6%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,189.20 a troy ounce, compared to $1,189.90 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $29.95 a barrel from $29.82 earlier.