Dollar rises after key jobs report

F.P. Report

NEW YORK: The US dollar strengthened in late trading following the release of the March US employment report. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, was up 0.27 percent to 102.0952.

In late New York trading, the euro fell to 1.0907 US dollars from 1.0930 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound decreased to 1.2415 US dollars from 1.2452 dollars in the previous session.

The US dollar bought 132.23 Japanese yen, higher than 131.78 Japanese yen of the previous session. The US dollar fell to 0.9040 Swiss francs from 0.9041 Swiss francs, and it was up to 1.3514 Canadian dollars from 1.3472 Canadian dollars. The US dollar rose to 10.4588 Swedish Kronor from 10.4160 Swedish Kronor.

US employers added 236,000 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate ticked down to 3.5% from 3.6% in February, the Labor Department reported. Economists had expected a gain of 239,000 jobs and a jobless rate of 3.6%, according to Refinitiv. (APP)