The dollar’s stronger after a solid initial jobless claims report.

The US dollar index is up 0.5% at 96.58 as of 11:31 a.m. ET.

Earlier in the day, the Department of Labor reported that the number of first-time filings for unemployment insurance fell to 249,000 last week, compared to economists’ expectations that claims climbed to 256,000.

Separately, Marc Chandler, the global head of currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman wrote earlier: “…we think it is notable that the dollar’s firmer tone is happening alongside a rise in interest rates. Yields on the two and 10-year Treasury has risen four consecutive sessions coming into today.”

As for the rest of the world, here’s the scoreboard as of 11:37 a.m. ET:

    The British pound is down 0.7% at 1.2654 against the dollar. The pound has tumbled by almost 2% against the dollar this week, starting after Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday set a firm date for triggering Article 50, which would begin the official process of Britain leaving the European Union. The Japanese yen is weaker by 0.5% at 104.04 per dollar. Notably, the dollar has gained against the yen for eight consecutive sessions. The Russian ruble is hovering around 62.3268 per dollar while prices for Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, ticked up by 1.0% to $52.38 per barrel.The euro is down 0.3% at 1.1170 against the dollar. The Australian dollar is lower by 0.7% at .7571 per dollar.