Investing.com - The number of job openings in the U.S. rose more than expected in November, fuelling 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 4.972 million in November from 4.830 million in October.
Analysts had expected the number of job openings to rise to 4.863 million in November.
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 1.1756 from around 1.1759 ahead of the release of the data, while GBP/USD was at 1.5155 from 1.5153 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 118.58 from 118.61 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 92.61, compared to 92.60 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were higher after the open. The Dow rose 1.5%, the S&P 500 tacked on 1.35%, while the Nasdaq 100 advanced 1.7%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold traded at $1,233.70 a troy ounce, compared to $1,236.00 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $45.40 a barrel from $45.67 earlier.