Investing.com - The number of job openings in the U.S. rose less than expected in January, 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, increased to 4.998 million in January from 4.877 million in December, whose figure was revised down from a previously reported 5.028 million.
Analysts had expected the number of job openings to rise to 5.053 million in January.
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 was trading at 1.0757 from around 1.0769 ahead of the release of the data, while GBP/USD was at 1.5080 from 1.5090 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 121.14 from 121.05 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 98.26, compared to 98.18 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were lower after the open. The Dow 30 tumbled 1%, the S&P 500 fell 0.95%, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.1%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,165.70 a troy ounce, compared to $1,166.40 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $49.39 a barrel from $49.47 earlier.