US: Weekly Initial Jobless Claims rise to 239K vs. 232K expected

• Initial Jobless Claims in the US increased by 11,000 in the week ending April 8, to highest since January 2022.
• Continuing Jobless Claims decrease by 13,000 in the week ending April 1.
• US Dollar Index tumbled to the lowest since early February after US data.

There were 239,000 initial jobless claims in the week ending April 8, the weekly data published by the US Department of Labor (DOL) showed on Thursday. This print followed the previous week's unrevised print of 228,000 and came in above the market expectation of 232,000. It is the highest level since January 15, 2022.

"The 4-week moving average was 240,000, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week's unrevised average of 237,750. This is the highest level for this average since November 20, 2021 when it was 249,250", the DOL said. 

Continuing Claims decline by 13,000 in the week ended April 1 to 1.810 million, above the 1.814 million of market consensus.

"The 4-week moving average was 1,813,500, an increase of 9,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 1,804,000. This is the highest level for this average since November 13, 2021 when it was 2,007,000," the DOL noted. 

Market reaction

The US Dollar Index tumbled to fresh monthly lows, approaching 101.00, after claims and also alongside lower-than-expected inflation data.