Aussie dollar hits new post-float high

THE dollar rose half of one US cent to a new post-float high after the release of stronger than expected employment data.

THE dollar rose half of one US cent to a new post-float high after the release of stronger than expected employment data.

At 11.30am (AEST) today, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) announced that the unemployment rate fell to 4.9 per cent in March.

By 11.38am (AEST), the currency rose to a new post-float high of 104.74 US cents, compared with 104.25 cents just before the data was released.

Total employment rose by a seasonally adjusted 37,800 to 11.457 million in the month.

The median market forecast for the unemployment rate for March to stay steady at five per cent per cent, with 20,000 jobs added for the month, an AAP survey of 15 economists shows.