The dollar jumped on Friday, after data showed that US employers hired more than expected in April, with wages also increasing more than economists expected.
The dollar index rose to the highest level in the session at 101.77. The euro fell to $1.0967. The dollar jumped to 135.13 yen, and the pound sterling rose 0.09% to $1.2583.
US companies added 253,000 jobs, compared to economists’ expectations of an increase of 180,000, and average hourly wages increased at an annual rate of 4.4%, exceeding expectations for a 4.2% increase.
However, March data was revised downward to an increase of 165,000 jobs instead of an increase of 236,000 jobs as previously announced.
The dollar fell in September from its highest level in 20 years, as investors prepared for the possibility that the Federal Reserve (the US central bank) was in the process of ending the monetary tightening cycle and starting to cut interest rates if the economy continued to slow.
