NEW YORK: The dollar held its earlier gains against a basket of currencies on Thursday as data showed weekly first-time filings for US unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell to near a 43-year low, supporting the view of further improvement in the jobs market.

The dollar index was up 0.34 percent at 96.451 after touching its highest level since Aug. 9 shortly after the release of the latest jobless claims data.

Copyright Reuters, 2016