US Initial Jobless Claims falls to 189K vs. 215K estimates
The US Department of Labor (DOL) reported on Thursday that the number of US citizens filing new applications for unemployment insurance falls to 189K for the week ending April 25, while they were expected to have remained steady at 215K from the previous week's revised level.

The US Department of Labor (DOL) reported on Thursday that the number of US citizens filing new applications for unemployment insurance falls to 189K for the week ending April 25, while they were expected to have remained steady at 215K from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up from 214K.

The 4-week moving average was 207,500, a decrease of 3,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 210,750 to 211,000.

Market reaction

No significant reaction from the US Dollar (USD) is observed after the data release. As of writing, US Dollar Index (DXY) trades 0.5% lower around 98.45.

US Dollar FAQs

The US Dollar (USD) is the official currency of the United States of America, and the ‘de facto’ currency of a significant number of other countries where it is found in circulation alongside local notes. It is the most heavily traded currency in the world, accounting for over 88% of all global foreign exchange turnover, or an average of $6.6 trillion in transactions per day, according to data from 2022. Following the second world war, the USD took over from the British Pound as the world’s reserve currency. For most of its history, the US Dollar was backed by Gold, until the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1971 when the Gold Standard went away.

The most important single factor impacting on the value of the US Dollar is monetary policy, which is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability (control inflation) and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these two goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, the Fed will raise rates, which helps the USD value. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates, which weighs on the Greenback.

In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve can also print more Dollars and enact quantitative easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used when credit has dried up because banks will not lend to each other (out of the fear of counterparty default). It is a last resort when simply lowering interest rates is unlikely to achieve the necessary result. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice to combat the credit crunch that occurred during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy US government bonds predominantly from financial institutions. QE usually leads to a weaker US Dollar.

Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing in new purchases. It is usually positive for the US Dollar.

超过一百万用户依赖 FXStreet 获取实时市场数据、图表工具、专家洞见和外汇新闻。其全面的经济日历和教育网络研讨会帮助交易者保持信息领先、做出审慎决策。FXStreet 拥有约 60 人的团队,分布在巴塞罗那总部及全球各地区。
阅读更多

实时报价

名称 / 代码
图表
涨跌幅 / 价格
GBPUSD
1日涨跌幅
+0%
0
EURUSD
1日涨跌幅
+0%
0
USDJPY
1日涨跌幅
+0%
0

关于 FOREX 的一切

探索更多工具
交易学院
浏览涵盖交易策略、市场洞察和金融基础知识的广泛教育文章,一站式学习。
了解更多
课程
探索结构化的交易课程,旨在支持您在交易旅程的每个阶段的成长。
了解更多
网络研讨会
参加现场和点播网络研讨会,从行业专家那里获得实时市场洞察和交易策略。
了解更多