Friday, February 5, 2010

Initial Jobless Claims Rise Unexpectedly; Stock Futures Down, Dollar Up

Speaking of the unemployed, the ranks of those claiming first-time benefits surprisingly rose again last week, to 480,000, the U.S. Department of Labor reported this morning, up from the revised 472,000 prior and ahead of expectations for a decline to 455,000.

The gloomy results have pushed down S&P 500 futures, with the March contract off 10.2 points at 1,086.20. The S&P closed down 6 points at 1,097.28 yesterday. The dollar, meanwhile, is strengthening against the Euro, at $1.3843 versus yesterday’s closing cross of $1.3899.


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