The dollar was mixed Friday even after a blockbuster U.S. jobs report may have paved the way for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in July or September.
The Labor Department released a report showing that the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in almost seven years.
The unemployment rate slipped to 5.4 percent in April from 5.5 percent in March, matching economist estimates.
The report said non-farm payroll employment increased by 223,000 jobs in April compared to economist estimates for an increase of about 220,000 jobs.
It’s the clearest sign yet that the winter economic lull was transitory.
The dollar bounced back and forth near $1.12 versus the euro, but lost ground against the sterling, slipping to $1.545 after the UK’s pro-business Conservative Party was the big winner in general elections.
There was little movement against the yen, with the buck holding just below Y120.
In other economic news, wholesale inventories in the U.S. rose by less than expected in the month of March, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Friday.
The report said wholesale inventories inched up by 0.1 percent in March after rising by a downwardly revised 0.2 percent in February.
Germany’s exports and imports growth exceeded expectations in March, while industrial production declined unexpectedly from February.
According to data published by Destatis, exports grew 1.2 percent month-on-month in March, much faster than a 0.4 percent rise forecast by economists. But it was slightly slower than the 1.4 percent rise seen in February.
Imports advanced 2.4 percent, while growth was expected to ease to 0.1 percent from 1.3 percent seen in February.
Meanwhile, industrial production declined unexpectedly by 0.5 percent in March after staying flat in February, another report from Destatis revealed today. Economists had forecast a 0.4 percent rise for March.
In the U.K., house prices increased at a faster pace in April, data from Lloyds Banking Group’s Halifax division showed. House prices advanced 1.6 percent in April from last month, when it gained 0.6 percent.
The material has been provided by InstaForex Company – www.instaforex.com