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The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, but probably not enough to suggest the labor market recovery was taking a step back.Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 357,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Still, they remained in the middle of their range for this year.The prior week's claims figure was revised to show 5,000 more applications than previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had expected first-time applications last week to rise to 340,000. Last week's report contained annual benchmark revisions to the series and...

<p>The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits edged higher last week, but a trend reading dropped to its lowest in five years and pointed to ongoing healing in the labor market.</p> <p>Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 336,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday.</p>

The good news: Initial jobless claims declined to 332,000 for the most recent week ending March 9. The expectations were for an increase to 350,000. The bad news: Initial jobless claims are back to where we were in March 2012. Remember, there are still 12,032,000 unemployment people in the USA. And we are back to the peak of the Carter-era recession. Continuing jobless claims fell as well. But this time it is back to the end of March 2012 levels. In terms of occupational growth rates, mid-wage growth remains negative leaving growth in only high-wage and low-wage occupations. Ah, the...

The grind lower in initial jobless claims continues, which from an upwardly revised 342k (was 340K) last week, declined to 332K in the most recent week ended March 9, on expectations of an increase to 350K. This was the third consecutive beat in a row and the lowest total print since January, which in turn takes it all the way back to January 2008. Continuing claims were also better than expected, dropping from an upwardly-revised 3113K, to 3024K, on expectations of a 3090K print. According to the BLS, unlike the last time we had an abnormally low print, no states...

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell week, the latest indication the labor market recovery was gaining traction. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 332,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. That was the third straight week of declines. The prior week's claims figure was revised to show 2,000 more applications than previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had expected first-time applications last week to rise to 350,000. Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/2013/03/14/jobless-claims-labor-department-unemployment-insurance/#ixzz2NWEw2gn4

The unemployment rate may have fallen from 7.9% in February to 7.7% in January, but the number of people not in the labor force has set a record all-time high. The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines those not in the labor force as those who are unemployed and no longer looking for work, including those who retired on schedule or retired early. CNS News reported the numbers: “The number of Americans designated as ‘not in the labor force’ in February was 89,304,000, a record high, up from 89,008,000 in January, according to the Department of Labor. This means that the...

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, suggesting a pick-up in the labor market recovery. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 7,000 to a seasonally adjusted 340,000, declining for a second straight week, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's claims figure was revised to show 3,000 more applications received than previously reported. Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/2013/03/07/jobless-claims-unexpectedly-fall-7k/#ixzz2MrcIfWML

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, suggesting some traction in the labor market recovery. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 344,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's claims figure was revised to show 4,000 more applications received than previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had expected first-time applications to fall to 360,000. Claims have seen large swings in recent months because of difficulties smoothing the data for seasonal fluctuations, making it hard to get a clear pulse of the labor market's...

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, but still remained at levels consistent with a steady improvement in labor market conditions. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 362,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's claims figure was revised to show 1,000 more applications received than previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had expected first-time applications to rise to 355,000. The increase in claims last week pushed them toward the upper end of their range for this year.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, pointing to a continued steady improvement in labor market conditions. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 27,000 to a seasonally adjusted 341,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's claims figure was revised to show 2,000 more applications received than previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had expected claims to fall to 360,000. A Labor Department analyst said claims for Illinois and snowstorm-hit Connecticut had been estimated. Nevertheless, because most claims are filed online, the blizzard that slammed...

So the economy created 157,000 new payroll jobs in January. Wow. At this rate, we might actually get back down to Bush-era unemployment rates sometime, oh, within the next 100 years. The January jobs report is supposed to be good news. After all, the economy has now added a total of 6.1 million jobs over the past three years, and the BLS revised last year's jobs numbers sharply upward. But it doesn't take much effort to notice that, when it comes to job creation, we are barely treading water. Case in point: Despite these "big" gains, unemployment climbed to 7.9%...

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits bounced off five-year lows last week, pulling them back to levels consistent with modest job growth. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 38,000 to a seasonally adjusted 368,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's claims figure was unrevised. Economists polled by Reuters had expected claims to increase to 350,000. Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/2013/01/31/weekly-jobless-claims-rise-more-than-expected/#ixzz2JYwXRXIp

Reducing unemployment is critical to a housing recovery in the USA. Unfortunately, unemployment is not falling as quickly as it should. (Perhaps maybe that is why Hilda Solis stepped down as Labor Secretary!) Initial jobless claims were released this morning and showed an increase of 371,000, up from the downward revised print of 367,000 from last week. The expected print was 365,000. Notice that there has not been much improvement over the past year (SA). On a non seasonally adjusted (NSA) basis, we can see the deteriorating trend in initial jobless claims since September. In addition to mediocre employment numbers,...

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week, but seasonal volatility makes it difficult to get a clear picture of the labor market's health. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 371,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's figure was revised to show 5,000 fewer applications than previously reported. Claims tend to be very volatile around this time of the year because of the holidays and seasonal layoffs. While they increased last week, there was nothing in the data to suggest a deterioration in labor market conditions....

At least one Fed governor understands the Bernanke Fed's hyper-accommodative monetary policy has no exit. Today on CNBC "Squawk Box", Dallas Fed governor Richard Fisher complained Fed Risks 'Hotel California' Monetary Policy. Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher told CNBC that he's worried the U.S. central bank is in a "Hotel California" type of monetary policy because of its "engorged balance sheet." Evoking lyrics from the famous song by The Eagles, he said he feared the Fed would be able to "check out anytime you like, but never leave." Fisher said on "Squawk Box" that he argued against revealing the new...

After a few post-Hurricane Sandy weeks of new jobless claims hitting over 400,000, it looks as though we´ve settled back into the new and accepted normal of new claims landing somewhere in the 360,000 to 390,000 range. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this week saw 370,000 new claims filed. Keep in mind, though, that it´s only in Barack Obama´s America that we´ve learned to celebrate any number under 400,000. We´re nowhere near the point where our economy creates enough jobs to keep up with those lost every week. But because the media will never

A well-traveled panhandler who made national headlines last summer when he told an Oklahoma City police officer he'd made $60,000 in a year begging for money was arrested this week in Boise. ... Speegle was in Oklahoma City, where he told a police officer he was too lazy to get a job and didn't need to because he'd made $60,000 last year... The officer told Speegle he needed a $200 daily permit to panhandle, but Speegle suggested the price was within his means.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits fell by 25,000 to a seasonally adjusted 370,000 in the week ended Dec. 1, the Labor Department said Thursday. That's the third straight decline and lowest reading in one month. Initial claims from two weeks ago were revised up to 395,000 from an original reading of 393,000, based on more complete data collected at the state level. The average of new claims over the past month, meanwhile, edged up by 2,250 to 408,000. The four-week average reduces seasonal volatility in the weekly data and is seen as a more accurate barometer of...

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits dropped for a second straight week last week, unwinding some of the storm-related surge, which has muddled the labor market picture. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 23,000 to a seasonally adjusted 393,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's figure was revised up to show 6,000 more applications than previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims falling to 390,0000 last week. The four-week moving average for new claims, a better measure of labor market trends, increased 7,500 to 405,250, the highest level since October...