The dollar rose against most major currencies on Thursday following the release of stronger-than-expected U.S. employment data.
Figures published Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the U.S. economy added around 147,000 jobs in June, surpassing Dow Jones estimates of 110,000. The May figure was also revised upwards to 144,000.
Separate government data showed initial jobless claims in the U.S. fell by 4,000 to 233,000 in the week ending June 28, the lowest since May 17, while expectations had pointed to an increase to 240,000.
Following the strong jobs report, the yield on two-year U.S. Treasury bonds the most sensitive to changes in monetary policy climbed by 8.3 basis points to 3.872% as of 4:27 p.m. Mecca time. The yield on the ten-year bond rose by 4.3 basis points to 4.336% after touching 4.364%, while the thirty-year yield increased by 2.6 basis points to 4.849%.
Data released Thursday by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) showed the services PMI in the U.S. rose to 50.8 in June from 49.9 in May, matching expectations.
Wall Street is set to close early today, with U.S. markets shut Friday for Independence Day.
The U.S. Dollar Index rose by 0.4% to 97.1 points at 6:16 p.m. GMT, hitting a high of 97.4 and a low of 96.6.
Australian Dollar
The Australian dollar fell 0.2% against its U.S. counterpart to 0.6569 as of 7:03 p.m. GMT.
Canadian Dollar
The Canadian dollar rose 0.2% against the U.S. dollar to 0.7371 at 7:03 p.m. GMT.