US Initial Jobless Claims Dropped To 197K Last Week

Where Forex Never Rests • Oct 1, 2026 at 8:43 AM EDT

US initial jobless claims fell to 197,000 last week, beating estimates and signaling a resilient labor market.

According to a report from the US Department of Labour (DOL) released on Thursday, the number of US citizens submitting new applications for unemployment insurance decreased to 197K for the week ending September 26. The latest print came in below initial estimates (201K) and was lower than the previous week’s 198K (revised from 197K).

Additionally, the 4-week moving average went down by 2.5K to 200K vs. the previous week’s revised prints (202.5K).

The report also indicated that Continuing Jobless Claims dropped by 11K to 1.701M for the week ending September 19.

Market reaction

The Greenback keeps its march north unabated, sending the US Dollar Index (DXY) to fresh tops near the 102.00 barrier, levels last seen in April 2025 as investors continue to assess the latest data releases

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