UK Unemployment Rate steadies at 4.2% in quarter to September vs. 4.2% expected

The UK Unemployment Rate steadied at 4.2% in the quarter to September.
The Claimant Count Change for Britain arrived at 17.8K in September.
GBP/USD holds steady near 1.2300 after the mixed UK jobs data.

Dhwani Mehta FXStreet

The United Kingdom’s (UK) ILO Unemployment Rate held steady at 4.2% in the quarter to September, the latest data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed Tuesday. The data matched market expectations of 4.2% in the September quarter.

Additional details showed that the number of people claiming jobless benefits climbed by 17.8K in September when compared to the previous jump of 20.4K.

The British Employment Change for September stood at -207K, compared with -82K recorded in August.

Average Earnings excluding Bonus in the UK rose 7.7% 3M YoY in September, as against a 7.8% increase registered in August. Markets had expected an increase of 7.7%. Another measure of wage inflation, Average Earnings including Bonus accelerated by 7.9% in the reported period vs. an 8.2% increase in August and the 7.4% expected.

The UK Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP, told FXStreet: “We are leaving no stone unturned to help people into work, with a record number of employees on payrolls - up nearly 400,000 in the last year alone with 3.9 million more people in work than in 2010.”

“With our ambitious welfare reforms, including the expansion of free childcare and extra support for people with health conditions, we are taking long-term decisions that will grow the economy and change lives for the better,” Stride MP added.

GBP/USD reaction to the UK employment report

GBP/USD is picking up fresh bids but remains below 1.2300 after the mixed UK employment data. The pair is trading 0.08% higher on the day at 1.2286, as of writing.

Author

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

EUR/USD climbs to daily highs near 1.1820

EUR/USD now picks up pace and advances to the area of daily peaks north of the 1.1800 barrier at the end of the week. The pair’s decent move higher comes against the backdrop of a generalised lack of direction in the FX galaxy and the mild offered stance in the US Dollar.

GBP/USD trims losses, retests 1.3460

After briefly challenging its key 200-day SMA near 1.3440, GBP/USD now manages to regain some balance and revisit the 1.3460 zone on Friday. Cable’s pullback comes as the selling pressure on the Greenback gathers traction, reigniting some recovery in the risk-linked space.

Gold flirts with four-week highs past $5,200

Gold extends its rebound, climbing for a third consecutive session and pushing back above the $5,200 mark per troy ounce on Friday. The move higher continues to draw support from lingering geopolitical tensions and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding US trade policy, both of which are keeping safe-haven demand firmly in play.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple consolidate with short-term cautious bullish bias

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple are consolidating near key technical areas on Friday, showing mild signs of stabilization after recent volatility. BTC holds above $67,000 despite mild losses so far this week, while ETH hovers around $2,000 after a rejection near its upper consolidation boundary.

Changing the game: International implications of recent tariff developments

The Supreme Court ruling on International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs provides limited relief for the rest of the world, with weighted average tariff rates modestly lower.

Starknet unveils strkBTC, shielded Bitcoin transactions on Ethereum Layer 2

Starknet, the Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by StarkWare, today announced strkBTC, a wrapped Bitcoin asset that introduces optional shielding while preserving full DeFi composability.