SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA
In the week ending May 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 367,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 368,000. The 4-week moving average was 379,000, a decrease of 5,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 384,250.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.5 percent for the week ending April 28, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week’s unrevised rate of 2.6 percent.
The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending April 28 was 3,229,000, a decrease of 61,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 3,290,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,290,000, a decrease of 10,500 from the preceding week’s revised average of 3,300,500.
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News releases from the U.S. Department of Labor are accessible on the Internet at: http://www.dol.gov/and http://www.ows.doleta.gov/
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Jobless claims fall, trade gap widens
The number of Americans submitting new applications for jobless benefits edged down last week, easing concerns the labor market was deteriorating after April’s weak employment growth.
While the claims data indicated the economy remained on a moderate growth path, a report from the Commerce Department showing a widening in the trade deficit in March suggested economic growth was much slower in the first quarter than initially believed.
New claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 367,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week’s figure was revised up to 368,000 from the previously reported 365,000.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims inching up to 369,000 last week. The four-week moving average for new claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends, fell 5,250 to 379,000.
“It looks like the (jobless claims) numbers are reverting to the declining trend that got interrupted briefly,” Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington…
Source:
Read More @ Jobless claims fall, trade gap widens | Reuters.
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