US weekly Initial Jobless Claims decline to 201K vs. 225K expected

• US Initial Jobless Claims in the US decreased by 20,000 in the week ending September 16.
• Continuing Claims declined by 21,000 in the week ended September 9. 
• US Dollar Index rises further above 105.50, to fresh multi-month highs. 

Initial Jobless Claims totaled 201,000 in the week ending September 16, the weekly data published by the US Department of Labor (DOL) showed on Thursday. It is the lowest reading since the first quarter. This follows the previous week's print of 221,000 (revised from 220,000) and came in below the market expectation of 225,000. “The 4-week moving average was 217,000, a decrease of 7,750 from the previous week's revised average”, the DOL revealed. 

Continuing claims decreased by 21,000 in the week ending September 9 to 1.662 million, below market expectations of 1.695 million. It is the lowest reading since January. 

Market reaction

The US Dollar Index continues to push higher after this data, rising above 105.70, to fresh multi-month highs.