US weekly Initial Jobless Claims rise to 204K vs. 215K expected

• US Initial Jobless Claims in the US advanced by 2,000 in the week ending September 23.
• Continuing Claims declined/increased by 12,000 in the week ending September 16. 
• US Dollar Index remains in negative territory below 106.30. 

Initial Jobless Claims totaled 204,000 in the week ending September 23, the weekly data published by the US Department of Labor (DOL) showed on Thursday. It is the second-lowest reading since late January. This follows the previous week’s print of 202,000 (revised from 201,000) and came below the market expectation of 215,000. “The 4-week moving average was 211,000, a decrease of 6,250 from the previous week’s revised average”;  the DOL revealed. 

Continuing claims decreased by 12,000 in the week ending September 16 to 1.670 million, below market expectations of 1.675 million. 

Market reaction

The US Dollar Index printed fresh daily lows under 106.30 after the release of US data that included a new estimate of Q2 GDP growth.