The dollar extended declines versus the Swiss franc on Thursday in the aftermath of a government report showing a higher-than-expected reading for U.S. initial weekly jobless claims.

The dollar fell more than 1 percent versus the franc and traded as low as 1.0295 CHF=, a level last seen Jan. 19, according to Reuters data.

The U.S. Labor Department reported initial claims for jobless benefit rose to 500,00 in the latest week. Markets were expecting claims of 476,000. For details, see [ID:nN18197408] (Reporting by Vivianne Rodrigues; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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