Gold steadies at $4,250 as U.S. jobless claims hit 226,000

The Labor Department’s latest figures show the initial claims for state unemployment benefits landing nearly exactly on the consensus forecast of 225,000. While the previous week’s data saw a slight upward revision to 230,000, the current reading suggests persistent, albeit moderate, labor market conditions. Investors looking for a clearer trend often lean on the four-week moving average, which arrived at 223,250, marginally higher than the expected 223,000.

Beyond initial filings, the number of individuals already receiving benefits—continuing claims—reached 1.810 million for the week ending June 6. This figure surpassed the anticipated 1.800 million, following a downward revision to 1.786 million in the prior period. Despite these shifts in employment data, gold remains down 0.17% on the daily chart as markets weigh the implications of steady job growth against the metal's role as a safe-haven asset.