NEW YORK (MarketWatch) --- The dollar clung to gains versus major counterparts on Thursday after the U.S. Labor Department said initial claims for jobless benefits rose 11,000 to 531,000 in the week ended Oct. 17. The median estimate of economists surveyed by MarketWatch was for claims to be 510,000. The dollar index (DXY 75.27, +0.30, +0.40%) , a measure of the U.S. currency against a trade-weighted basket of rivals, traded at 75.278, up from 74.983 in North American activity late Wednesday, when it hit a fresh 14-month low. Still on tap is an index on leading indicators.
