US Initial Jobless Claims dropped to 208K, beating forecasts and lifting the Dollar Index as labor resilience offsets softer retail sales.
The US Dollar Index (DXY) advanced 0.3% to near 100.80 after US Initial Jobless Claims fell to 208K for the week, below the 217K estimate and prior 216K. The data underscored labor-market strength, though June Retail Sales growth slowed to 0.2% month-over-month from 1.0% in May, capping gains.
EUR/USD slipped 0.2% to 1.1440, while GBP/USD declined 0.5% to 1.3470 as broad Dollar demand pressured peers. USD/JPY edged up 0.1% to 162.40, though intervention risks from Japanese authorities lingered. Markets now await final Eurozone inflation figures, with core HICP expected to hold at 2.4% year-over-year.