Investing.com - The jobless rate in the U.K. was unchanged as expected in July, while the claimant count rose more than expected in August and wages showed a mixed reading, official data showed on Wednesday.
The Office for National Statistics said that the rate of unemployment remained at 4.9% in the three months to July, in line with forecasts.
The claimant count rose by a seasonally adjusted 2,400 in August, compared to expectations for a increase of 1,800 people, and following a drop of 3,600 a month earlier, whose figure was revised from a previously reported decline of 8,600.
Meanwhile, the average earnings index, including bonuses, rose by a seasonally adjusted 2.3% in the three months to July, compared to forecasts for a 2.1% advance and after increasing by 2.5% (revised from an initial 2.4% increase) in the three months to June.
Excluding bonuses, wages rose by 2.1%, compared to forecasts for a 2.2% advance and following a 2.3% increase in the three months to June.
Following the report, GBP/USD traded at 1.3205 from around 1.3198 ahead of the release of the data, while EUR/GBP was at 0.8496 from 0.8503 earlier.
Meanwhile, European stock markets were broadly higher. London’s FTSE 100 rose 0.48%, the benchmark Euro Stoxx 50 traded up 0.29%, France's CAC 40 advanced 0.35%, while Germany's DAX gained 0.51%.