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US Dollar Mixed Early Thursday Ahead of Jobless Claims, Housing Starts, Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing

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The US dollar was mixed against its major trading partners early Thursday -- up versus the pound and Canadian dollar, down versus euro and yen -- before the release of weekly jobless claims data, housing starts for August and the Philadelphia Federal Reserve's manufacturing reading for September, all at 8:30 am ET.

Pending home sales data for August are due to be released at 10:00 am ET, followed by weekly natural gas stocks data at 10:30 am ET and an update to the Atlanta Fed's GDP nowcast estimate around midday.

The Federal Open Market Committee voted 12-0 to raise the target range for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 3.75% to 4.00% at its meeting on Wednesday and suggested further increases are possible.

A quick summary of foreign exchange activity heading into Thursday:

EUR/USD rose to 1.1474 from 1.1467 at the Wednesday US close but was below a level of 1.1540 at the same time Wednesday morning. Eurozone consumer price growth accelerated in August, though the year-over-year rate was slower than expected and the core rate actually decelerated, according to data released earlier Thursday. The next European Central Bank meeting is scheduled for Oct. 29.

GBP/USD fell to 1.3354 from 1.3381 at the Wednesday US close and 1.3465 at the same time Wednesday morning. The pound was trending higher Thursday morning before the Bank of England's decision to hold its target rate steady was announced. The next Bank of England meeting is scheduled for Nov. 5. There are no UK data on Thursday's schedule.

USD/JPY fell to 155.8341 from 156.2651 at the Wednesday US close but was above a level of 155.0362 at the same time Wednesday morning. There were no Japanese data released overnight. The Bank of Japan is expected to raise its policy rate by 25-basis points when its post-meeting announcement is released after 10:30 pm ET Thursday evening.

USD/CAD rose to 1.3996 from 1.3989 at the Wednesday US close and 1.3938 at the same time Wednesday morning. Canadian industrial product and raw materials prices for August and securities purchases data for July are due to be released at 8:30 am ET. The next Bank of Canada meeting is scheduled for Oct. 28.

What else is happening in International?

International

New Zealand Job Ads Rise 0.6% in August, Up 9.7% Annually, Says Seek

New Zealand job ads rose 0.6% month on month in August and are 9.7% higher year on year, with applications per job ad rising 0.9% month on month despite the increase in available opportunities, according to a Thursday report by Seek.The report said 4% of job ads reference artificial intelligence skills, with mentions rising 4.4% month on month and over 93% year-on-year, while job ads with high-automation exposure are now 0.1% lower year on year as those with medium or low exposure continue to rise.Several regions are recording double-digit annual growth, including West Coast at about 25%, Otago at roughly 19%, and Canterbury at nearly 16%, while Manawatū, Hawke's Bay, Northland, and Taranaki were the only regions where job ads declined month-on-month, the report added.The consumer services sector also grew significantly, led by hospitality and tourism at 3.4% and retail and consumer products at 3.3%, per the report.Seek NZ country manager Rob Clark said Auckland enjoyed exceptional monthly growth in August, growing at its fastest pace in over four years, driven by increasing demand for manufacturing, transport, tourism, and hospitality workers.

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International

Saudi Central Bank Lifts Rates by 25 Basis Points

The Saudi Central Bank on Wednesday decided to hike key rates by 25 basis points to maintain monetary stability.SAMA raised the repurchase agreement, or repo rate, to 4.50% and the reverse repo rate to 4%.The move follows the US Federal Reserve's decision to lift interest rates by 25 basis points.

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International

UAE Central Bank Hikes Rates by 25 Basis Points in September

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates raised the base rate applicable to the overnight deposit facility by 25 basis points to 3.9%, effective Thursday.Meanwhile, the interest rate applicable to borrowing short-term liquidity was maintained at 50 basis points above the base rate for all standing credit facilities, according to a Wednesday release.The CBUAE's decision follows the US Federal Reserve's move to increase the interest rate on reserve balances.

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