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April 2, 2026
First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits edged lower in the week ending on March 28, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday. Initial jobless claims dipped to 202,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's level of 211,000. With the decrease, jobless claims dropped to their lowest level since hitting 201,000 in the week ending on January 10.
The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also edged down to 207,750, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised average of 210,750. Meanwhile, a reading on the number of people receiving ongoing unemployment assistance rose by 25,000 to 1.841 million in the week ending March 21. The four-week moving average of continuing claims still fell by 7,500 to 1,838,750, hitting the lowest level since the week ending on September 28, 2024.
On Friday, the Labor Department is scheduled to release a more closely watched report on employment for March. 04/02/2026 - 09:41:00 (RTTNews)
A report released by the Commerce Department on Thursday showed the U.S. trade deficit increased by less in February. The trade deficit widened to $57.3 billion in February from $54.7 billion in January. The wider trade deficit came as the value of imports surged by slightly more than the value of exports. The value of imports spiked by 4.3% to $372.1 billion in February after falling by 0.6% to $356.9 billion in January.
Imports of capital goods such as computers saw a substantial increase, while imports of industrial supplies and materials, consumer goods and automotive vehicles, parts, and engines also climbed. Meanwhile, the value of exports shot up by 4.2% to $314.8 billion in February, soaring by 5.6% to $302.2 billion in January. The report showed a sharp increase in exports of industrial supplies and materials, particularly non-monetary gold.
The Commerce Department also said the goods deficit widened to $84.6 billion in February from $82.1 billion in January, while the service surplus shrank to $27.3 billion in February from $27.5 billion in January. 04/02/2026 - 10:01:00 (RTTNews)
Euro traded at 1.1547 against USD at 9:00 AM PST
Italy's retail sales stalled in February after rebounding the previous month. The sales value remained unchanged monthly in February, following a 0.6% rise in January.
Sales of food products declined 0.4% monthly in February, while those of non-food products increased by 0.2%. Regarding non-food items, positive trends were recorded for all product groups except footwear, leather goods, and travel goods, which fell by 0.2%. On a yearly basis, retail sales growth moderated to 1.6% in February from 2.5% the prior month. 04/02/2026 - 06:00:00 (RTTNews)
Australia's trade surplus increased in February, reaching a seven month high. The trade surplus rose to $5.68 billion in February from $2.26 billion in January. This was the highest since last July.
Exports increased 4.9% from the previous month, driven by a 29.9% surge in non-monetary gold exports. General merchandise exports also gained 0.8%. Meanwhile, imports declined 3.2% in February as non-monetary gold imports plunged 41.3%. 04/02/2026 - 00:52:00 (RTTNews)
This market update is prepared by Cathay Bank for informational purposes only and does not constitute any form of legal, tax or investment advice, nor should it be considered an assurance or guarantee of future exchange rate movements or trends. This information is provided without regard to the specific objectives, financial situations or needs of any recipient. Cathay Bank does not make any representations or warranties about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of this market update.
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