The U.K. currency was higher after a report showed that the jobless rate in the U.K. fell to the lowest level since mid-2008 in September, highlighting optimism over the health of the labor market. Separate data showed that average hourly earnings, including bonuses in the U.K. remained unchanged unexpectedly last month.
GBP/USD last traded at 1.5147, up 0.19%.
The Office for National Statistics said that the rate of unemployment dipped to 5.3% in the three months to September from 5.4% in the preceding three-month period. Analysts had expected the jobless rate to hold steady at 5.4%.
The report also showed that the claimant count rose by a seasonally adjusted 3,300 in October, disappointing expectations for an increase of 1,500 people, and following a gain of 500 a month earlier, whose figure was revised from a previously reported gain of 4,600.
In a separate report, U.K. Office of National Statistics said that Average hourly earnings + bonus remained unchanged at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.0%, from 3.0% in the preceding month. Analysts had expected Average hourly earnings + bonus to climb to 3.2% last month.
EUR/GBP was up 0.08% to settle at 0.7100.
EUR/USD was last up 0.29% at 1.0755.
The euro shrugged off downbeat numbers from Germany which signaled that wholesale price index fell unexpectedly last month.
Destatis said earlier in a report that Germany’s Wholesale Price Index fell to -0.4%, from -0.6% in the preceding month. Analysts had expected Germany’s Wholesale Price Index to rise 0.2% last month.
