Investing.com - Manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia-region unexpectedly increased in December, adding to optimism over the health of the economy, official data showed on Thursday.
In a report, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said that its manufacturing index rose to 26.2 this month from November's reading of 22.7.
Analysts had expected the index to tick down to 21.5.
On the index, a reading above 0.0 indicates improving conditions, below indicates worsening conditions. The prices paid index fell to 25.40 from 39.00 the prior month. Meanwhile, employment fell to 18.1 from 22.6 in November.
Following the report, that was released simultaneously with weekly jobless claims, EUR/USD traded at 1.1867, compared to 1.1871 prior to the publication, GBP/USD was at 1.3356 from 1.3354 ahead of the release of the data, while USD/JPY traded at 113.40 versus 113.39 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 92.92 compared to 93.89 ahead of the release.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher open. The Dow futures rose 0.19%, the S&P 500 futures gained 0.21%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.12%.