Foreign Exchange Market Update

October 8, 2026

United States Jobless Claims Decrease

The Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits fell in the week ending on October 3rd. The report said initial jobless claims edged down to 197,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's 199,000. Jobless claims have been nearly unchanged over the past several weeks, hovering just above the multi-decade low of 189,000 in the week ending on July 18th.

The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also slipped to 198,000, a decrease of 2,500 from the previous week's revised average of 200,500. Meanwhile, the report said continuing claims, a reading on the number of people receiving ongoing unemployment assistance, rose by 17,000 to 1.716 million in the week ending on September 26th. The four-week moving average of continuing claims fell to 1,711,000, a decrease of 12,250 from the previous week's average of 1,723,250 to 1,723,750 .

Last Friday, the Labor Department released a more closely watched report showing employment in the U.S. had increased in September. The report said non-farm payroll employment rose by 29,000 jobs in September after jumping by 133,000 jobs in August. The Labor Department also said the unemployment rate ticked up from 4.1% in August to 4.2% in September. 10/08/2026 - 09:16:00 (RTTNews)

German Exports Log Fall; Imports Recover

Euro traded at 1.1195 against USD at 9:00 AM PST

Germany's exports registered a fall in August, while imports logged a moderate recovery. Exports dropped 0.8% monthly, following a 0.5% decrease in July. Meanwhile, imports rose 0.9%, following a fall of 5.5% in July. As a result, the trade surplus fell from EUR 21.6 billion in July to EUR 19.5 billion. In the same period last year, the surplus totaled EUR 17.6 billion. On a yearly basis, growth in exports improved from 6.4% in July to 7.0%. Annual growth in imports accelerated from 3.2% to 6.0%.

Most German exports in August went to the United States, with exports totaling EUR 13.5 billion. However, shipments to the US showed a monthly fall of 6.3%. On the other hand, exports to the UK and China grew 16.7% and 4.7%. Most imports in August came from China, as the value reached EUR 16.8 billion. Imports from China increased 11.0%, while those from the US dropped 0.5%. Imports from the UK were down 3.8%. 10/08/2026 - 05:14:00 (RTTNews)

United Kingdom Job Placements Increase

British Pound traded at 1.3210 against USD at 9:00 AM PST

United Kingdom permanent job placements increased for the second straight month in September, while permanent pay growth slowed for the first time in four months. There was a back-to-back increase in permanent placements in September, with the rate of growth hitting the strongest in four years. The improvement reflects rising activity levels of employers and efforts to expand capacity amid improved business confidence. Temp billings also increased in September, but the increase was the least pronounced in five months.

Despite competition for highly skilled workers, permanent salary growth slowed for the first time in four months. Temp pay rates also increased at a softer pace. Further, there was another fall in demand for workers. However, the rate of contraction slowed to the weakest in just over two years. Both permanent and temporary vacancies decreased at moderate rates. The availability of candidates to fill roles continued to rise amid reports of redundancies and fewer job opportunities. That said, the rate of expansion was the slowest in three years. 10/08/2026 - 05:46:00 (RTTNews)