JOBLESS CLAIMS STAY BELOW 200,000 FOURTH STRAIGHT WEEK

US initial jobless claims came in at 197,000 for the week ended October 3, the fourth consecutive week under the 200,000 threshold, according to Labor Department data tracked by the St. Louis Fed. A year earlier, the same four-week stretch ran between 219,000 and 233,000. The streak backs the case for the Federal Reserve to hold off on further rate cuts, a read that has kept the dollar ($DXY) firm this week.