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Quick Gulf Movement Pushes Bahraini Dinar to Recover

Quick Gulf Movement Pushes Bahraini Dinar to Recover
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Quick Gulf Movement Pushes Bahraini Dinar to Recover

Quick Gulf Movement Pushes Bahraini Dinar to Recover

Bahrain’s dinar recovered against the American dollar in the spot markets during early trading on Wednesday, while Central Bank of Bahrain announced covering the most recent issuance of government treasury bills up to 129 percent.

The recovery of the Bahraini dinar came quick after the standpoint announced by Saudi Arabia with the participation of UAE and Kuwait to support economic reforms in Bahrain in which Saudi Arabia announced that it continues along with Kuwait and UAE talks with Bahrain to reinforce the financial conditions stability.

“The kingdom of Bahrain, along with its sisters Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, will announce a programme to support the stability of the financial situation in Bahrain,” Finance Minister Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Khalifa told the official BNA news agency.

Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait announced an economic program to support financial stability in Bahrain and the recovery of Bahraini dinar. A comprehensive program to back economic reforms and general finance stability in Bahrain is anticipated soon. Positive reactions were restricted to the progress of Bahraini dinar in which Bahrain bills recovered strongly.

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan affirmed that Bahrain has started a package of financial and economic reforms, and will continue to carry out these reforms with the support of its sisters in the Gulf.

The stance announced by Saudi Arabia with the participation of UAE and Kuwait to support economic reforms in Bahrain falls under the Saudi fixed policy to stand with Bahrain no matter what challenges it faces.

Saudi Arabia’s support to Bahrain comes as a continuity to the kingdom’s policy to its sisters and allies in which Saudi Arabia has been the first economic and political backer to Bahrain throughout the history of both countries’ ties.

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US Applications for Jobless Claims Fall to 201,000, Lowest Level in Nearly a Year

A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
TT
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US Applications for Jobless Claims Fall to 201,000, Lowest Level in Nearly a Year

A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

US applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in nearly a year last week, pointing to a still healthy labor market with historically low layoffs.

The Labor Department on Wednesday said that applications for jobless benefits fell to 201,000 for the week ending January 4, down from the previous week's 211,000. This week's figure is the lowest since February of last year.

The four-week average of claims, which evens out the week-to-week ups and downs, fell by 10,250 to 213,000.

The overall numbers receiving unemployment benefits for the week of December 28 rose to 1.87 million, an increase of 33,000 from the previous week, according to The AP.

The US job market has cooled from the red-hot stretch of 2021-2023 when the economy was rebounding from COVID-19 lockdowns.

Through November, employers added an average of 180,000 jobs a month in 2024, down from 251,000 in 2023, 377,000 in 2022 and a record 604,000 in 2021. Still, even the diminished job creation is solid and a sign of resilience in the face of high interest rates.

When the Labor Department releases hiring numbers for December on Friday, they’re expected to show that employers added 160,000 jobs last month.

On Tuesday, the government reported that US job openings rose unexpectedly in November, showing companies are still looking for workers even as the labor market has loosened. Openings rose to 8.1 million in November, the most since February and up from 7.8 million in October,

The weekly jobless claims numbers are a proxy for layoffs, and those have remained below pre-pandemic levels. The unemployment rate is at a modest 4.2%, though that is up from a half century low 3.4% reached in 2023.

To fight inflation that hit four-decade highs two and a half years ago, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rates 11 times in 2022 and 2023. Inflation came down — from 9.1% in mid-2022 to 2.7% in November, allowing the Fed to start cutting rates. But progress on inflation has stalled in recent months, and year-over-year consumer price increases are stuck above the Fed’s 2% target.

In December, the Fed cut its benchmark interest rate for the third time in 2024, but the central bank’s policymakers signaled that they’re likely to be more cautious about future rate cuts. They projected just two in 2025, down from the four they had envisioned in September.