Dollar Hits 4-Week Peak on Resilient US Jobs Market
LONDON—The dollar rose to an almost one-month high on Friday, after U.S. economic data highlighted a still-tight labour market that could mean the Federal Reserve keeps hiking interest rates aggressively.
The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits dropped to a three-month low last week while layoffs fell 43 percent in December, data on Thursday showed.
A separate report also showed that private employment increased by 235,000 jobs last month, far exceeding expectations for a 150,000 increase.
Against a basket of currencies, the U.S. dollar index rose 0.3 percent to 105.45, having briefly touched a four-week peak of 105.52.
The index was on track for a weekly gain of almost 1.9 percent, its largest since September….