Initial Jobless Claims comes in at 197K against 201K consensus

Initial Jobless Claims in the United States came in at 197,000 for the week ending October 1, 2026. This figure was lower than the consensus expectation of 201,000. The previous week’s reading was 197,000. This actual print represented a 2.0% surprise compared to the consensus forecast.

Following the release, the US Dollar showed a mixed reaction against major currencies over the first 15 minutes. AUDUSD rose by 2.8 pips, while EURUSD declined by 1.4 pips. GBPUSD gained 0.8 pips, and NZDUSD was up 1.7 pips. USDCAD fell by 4.8 pips, USDCHF rose by 0.2 pips, and USDJPY increased by 2.5 pips. Gold, XAUUSD, moved up by 37 pips. These initial moves were generally modest compared to typical volatility. For instance, EURUSD typically sees a median 1-hour move of 10 pips, while its 15-minute move was 1.4 pips. XAUUSD, however, moved 37 pips, exceeding its median 1-hour move of 29 pips.