Investing.com - The number of job openings in the U.S. rose more than expected in February, 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 5.113 million in February from 4.965 million in January, whose figure was revised down from a previously reported 4.998 million.
Analysts had expected the number of job openings to rise to 5.010 million in February.
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 1.0863 from around 1.0869 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.4893 from 1.4896 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 120.21 from 120.19 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 97.78, compared to 97.74 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were modestly higher after the open. The Dow 30 tacked on 0.3%, the S&P 500 inched up 0.25%, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.35%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,210.90 a troy ounce, compared to $1,211.00 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $51.64 a barrel from $51.76 earlier.