Investing.com - U.S. factory orders rose less than expected in March, official data showed on Thursday.
In a report, the U.S. Census Bureau said factory orders increased by a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in March, compared to expectations for a rise of 0.4%
Factory orders rose 1.2% in February in an upward revision from what had been a 1.0% advance.
Factory orders excluding transportation declined 0.3% in March, worse than the prior month’s 0.3% increase that was revised from an initial 0.4% advance.
Immediately following the report, EUR/USD was trading at 1.0944 from 1.0934 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.2914 from 1.2897 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 112.68 compared to 112.82 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 98.87 compared to 98.96 previously.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets traded slightly lower after the open. The Dow 30 lost 28 points, or 0.13%, the S&P 500 slipped 1 point, or 0.03%, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 8 points, or 0.13%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,231.52 a troy ounce, compared to $1,228.62 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $46.66 a barrel from $46.53 earlier.