Investing.com - The number of job openings in the U.S. fell unexpectedly in July, dampening optimism over the strength of the labor market, official data showed on Tuesday.
In a report, the U.S. Labor Department said that the number of job openings, excluding the farming industry, fell to 4.67 million in July from 4.68 million in June.
Analysts had expected the number of job openings to increase to 4.72 million in July.
The report has garnered more attention lately, as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen often cites the survey when assessing the state of the labor market.
EUR/USD traded at 1.2887 following the release of the data from 1.2882 before, while GBP/USD was at 1.6098 compared to 1.6096 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were lower after the open. The Dow 30 fell 0.5%, the S&P 500 declined 0.4%, while the NASDAQ 100 slumped 0.3%.