Forex Pros – The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. last week fell significantly more-than-expected, dropping to the lowest level since early July 2008, official data showed on Thursday. In a report, the U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending February 5 fell to a seasonally adjusted 383K, after rising to 419K in the preceding week, whose figure was revised up from 415K. Analysts had expected initial jobless claims to drop to 413K in the week ending February 5. The report showed that continuing jobless claims in the week ended January 29 declined to 3.888 million, compared to 3.953 million in the preceding week, whose figure was revised up from 3.925 million. Analysts had expected continuing jobless claims to decline to 3.900 million. Following the release of the data, the U.S. dollar was up against the euro, with EUR/USD tumbling 0.95% to hit 1.3605. Meanwhile, the outlook for U.S. equity markets was downbeat. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a loss of 0.34%, S&P 500 futures pointed to a drop of 0.45%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures were down 0.75%.

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