How Polkadot reacted to Initial Jobless Claims on 16 July 2026

The short answer

An ordinary reaction. In the 15 minutes after the figure came out, Polkadot's price swung 1.52 times as much as in a normal 15 minutes that day. For an Initial Claims release, 1.31 times is usual. An hour later the price was 0.48% higher.

1.52x

Ordinary

Trading (volume ratio)
1.25x
usual for Initial Claims: 1.55x
Price at 8:30 AM
$0.840
15 minutes later
−0.48%
One hour later
+0.48%
range 1.07%, hour before 0.60%
DOT/USDT, 30 minutes candles around the release, 8:30 AM America/New York

The dashed orange line is the release. Chart data from Binance.

Open
0.845
Close
0.861
24h change
1.86%
24h high
0.874
24h low
0.828
24h volume
6.265M DOT

The release

Released by the Department of Labor on 16 July 2026 at 8:30 AM EDT. Initial Jobless Claims fell to 208K for the week ending 11th Jul, from 215K in the week ending 4th Jul.

It arrived at the same moment as Retail Sales, Retail Sales Excluding Automobiles and Continued Jobless Claims, so the reaction measured on this page belongs to all of them together.

How Polkadot moved

Polkadot was at $0.840 when the figure came out. Fifteen minutes later it was 0.48% lower, and an hour later 0.48% higher. Its high-to-low range in the hour after was 1.07% of its price, against 0.6% in the hour before.

Measured by Clometrix

Polkadot's volatility ratio was 1.52x, against 1.31x for a typical Initial Claims release since 2021. Its volume ratio was 1.25x, against a typical 1.55x. That is about what this release usually does. Both compare the quarter hour of the release with an ordinary quarter hour that same day, where 1.00x is no change: volatility is how far the price ranged, volume how much traded.

What made it matter

Since 2021, Initial Claims releases in the two weeks before a Fed decision have moved Polkadot about as much as those at other times: a median volatility ratio of 1.41x across 91, against 1.26x across 203. This one came out 13 days before the Federal Reserve's 29 July rate decision. Its own ratio of 1.52x compares with 1.41x for those, about what its circumstances would suggest.

Its record

Across 294 Initial Claims releases since 2021, Polkadot's median volatility ratio is 1.31x.

How it compares

Across 294 Initial Claims releases since 2021, Polkadot's usual price swing is 1.31x. This one was 1.16 times the usual.

MutedOrdinaryStrongExceptional

Thin line: Initial Claims's usual, 1.31x. Thick line: this release, 1.52x.

Minute by minute

Each row is the time after the release, with the same length of time before it for comparison.

After High Low Close Change Range Range before Volume
1 minute 0.841 0.84 0.841 0.12% 0.12% 0.00% 338 DOT
5 minutes 0.841 0.84 0.84 0.00% 0.12% 0.24% 1,724 DOT
10 minutes 0.841 0.836 0.837 -0.36% 0.59% 0.48% 22,327 DOT
15 minutes 0.841 0.835 0.836 -0.48% 0.71% 0.48% 47,107 DOT
30 minutes 0.841 0.835 0.836 -0.48% 0.71% 0.48% 78,960 DOT
1 hour 0.844 0.835 0.844 0.47% 1.07% 0.59% 213,205 DOT
2 hours 0.852 0.835 0.851 1.29% 2.00% 0.59% 481,714 DOT
4 hours 0.86 0.835 0.846 0.71% 2.91% 0.95% 1.42M DOT
6 hours 0.86 0.835 0.855 1.75% 2.91% 1.66% 2.038M DOT
8 hours 0.86 0.834 0.846 1.18% 3.02% 2.70% 1.999M DOT
12 hours 0.874 0.835 0.861 2.44% 4.46% 2.70% 3.747M DOT

Every coin at this release

Coin Price swing Usual for Initial Claims Reaction
Bitcoin 2.58x 1.52x Strong
Ethereum 2.92x 1.47x Strong
XRP Not measured 1.18x -
BNB 2.19x 1.42x Strong
Solana 2.51x 1.39x Strong
Dogecoin 2.49x 1.39x Strong
TRON 1.34x 1.33x Quiet
Cardano 2.17x 1.35x Strong
Chainlink 2.01x 1.43x Strong
Sui 2.06x 1.24x Strong
Bitcoin Cash 2.12x 1.34x Strong
Hedera 3.17x 1.32x Exceptional
Avalanche 3.03x 1.42x Exceptional
Litecoin 1.52x 1.38x Ordinary
Gram 0.00x 1.02x Quiet
Shiba Inu 1.52x 1.34x Ordinary
Uniswap 2.97x 1.35x Exceptional
Polkadot 1.52x 1.31x Ordinary
Aave 1.46x 1.38x Quiet
Bittensor 2.07x 1.41x Strong
NEAR Protocol 1.00x 1.24x Quiet
Aptos 2.37x 1.41x Strong
Internet Computer 1.01x 1.46x Quiet
POL (prev. MATIC) 1.20x 1.42x Quiet
Filecoin 2.38x 1.27x Strong

What is Initial Jobless Claims?

The weekly claims report is released Thursdays at 8:30 a.m. ET by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Initial claims are new jobless claims filed by U.S. workers seeking unemployment compensation, included in the unemployment insurance weekly claims report. The report, published since 1967, includes a separate count of workers receiving unemployment insurance benefits, known as continuing claims.

Every Initial Claims release for Polkadot

Questions about this page

Is 1.52x a lot?

For an Initial Claims release it is ordinary: the usual is 1.31x. Each report has its own usual size, and its releases show it.

Will the next Initial Claims do the same?

Nobody can say. A forecast shows the range Polkadot moved in after past Initial Claims releases, so you can plan for the likely size of the move.

More questions · Glossary

Disclaimer

The data analysis, forecasted results and projections provided herein are based on historical price action and market trends. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, these predictions are speculative and should not be considered a guarantee of future performance. Market conditions can change rapidly, and past performance is not indicative of future results. Trading and investing involve significant risk, and you should conduct your own research and consult with a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decisions. We do not assume any liability for any losses that may result from reliance on this information.