Investing.com - The U.S. economy added fewer jobs than expected last month data released on Thursday showed, tempering expectations for higher interest rates.
The Labor Department reported that the economy added 223,000 jobs in June, compared to expectations for jobs growth of 230,000.
May’s figure was revised down to 254,000 from 262,000 previously.
The unemployment rate ticked down to 5.3% last month, from 5.5% in June. Economists had expected the jobless rate to decline to 5.4%.
The data still indicated ongoing improvement in the labor market, which the Federal Reserve is a key factor in deciding when to start hiking interest rates.
The US dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, was at 96.27, down from around 96.59 ahead of the report.
U.S. futures extended gains following the report, with Dow futures pointing to a gain of 0.29%, S&P 500 futures up 0.25% and the Nasdaq 100 futures adding 0.31%.