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While the data may be taken with a grain of salt in light of recent technical issues, the Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing that first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly decreased in the week ended September 21st. The report said initial jobless claims fell to 305,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 310,000. The modest decrease came as a surprise to economists, who had expected jobless claims to climb to 325,000 from the 309,000 originally reported for the previous week. The jobless claims data in recent weeks was impacted by computer...

First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits showed a modest decrease in the week ended August 24th, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday. The report said initial jobless claims edged down to 331,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 337,000. The modest drop came roughly in line with the expectations of economists, who expected jobless claims to dip to 330,000 from the 336,000 originally reported for the previous week. Despite the modest pullback, however, jobless claims remain above the five-year low of 322,000 set in the week ended August 10th. The...

The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose slightly last week but was near its lowest level since before the 2007-09 recession, a hopeful sign for the U.S. economy. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose by 5,000 last week to 333,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had expected first-time applications to rise to 336,000 last week. Claims were volatile in July due to regular summer auto plant shutdowns which make it hard for the government to adjust the data for seasonal swings. But that volatility is now past, and a Labor Department...

Initial jobless claims rose more than expected last week to 343,000, but continued to signal moderate labor market growth. The number of people who filed for first-time unemployment benefits for the week ending Saturday was up 7,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 336,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News had projected the level to be 340,000.

The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. fell more-than-expected last week, easing concerns over the U.S. jobs market, official data showed on Thursday. In a report, the U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending July 13 fell by 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 334,000, compared to expectations for a drop of 13,000 to 345,000. Jobless claims for the preceding week were revised down to a gain of 358,000, from a previously reported 360,000. Continuing jobless claims in the week ended July 6 rose to...

The number of Americans applying for first-time unemployment benefits rose sharply last week to 360,000, an increase of 16,000 and much higher than the number analysts were expecting, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S expected, on average, claims for the seven days between June 30 and July 6 to fall to 340,000 below the previous week's revised figure of 344,000. By comparison, there were 363,000 first-time claims filed during the comparable week last year (seasonally adjusted). Although claims spiked, Labor Department officials and economists caution that one should not read too much into any...

Three reports Wednesday morning all offer at least modestly good news about the U.S. economy: — There were 343,000 first-time claims for jobless benefits last week, down 5,000 from the week before, says the Employment and Training Administration. — Job growth picked up in the private sector last month, say the data crunchers who produce the monthly ADP National Employment Report. That payroll firm's national survey shows a gain of 188,000 jobs, up from growth of 134,000 jobs in May. Moody's Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi, who works with ADP on the surveys, says in a statement that "the job...

Initial jobless claims hit 354,000. Consensus was for 340,000, according to Bloomberg. Last week had declined to 334,000. The 4-week moving average was 348,250, an increase of 2,500 from the previous week's revised average of 345,750. Mohamed El-Erian wrote in this space yesterday that for the foreseeable future, prints like this will be watched with greater scrutiny to see if the Fed's sunny economic projections are correct.

In a positive sign for the U.S. jobs market, the Labor Department released a report on Thursday showing that first-time claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly decreased in the week ended June 8th. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell to 334,000, a decrease of 12,000 from the previous week's unrevised figure of 346,000. The modest decrease came as a surprise to economists, who had been expecting initial jobless claims to edge up to 350,000. With the unexpected decrease, jobless claims fell for the second consecutive week, pulling back toward the five-year low of 327,000 set in the week ended...

Fewer Americans filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week, pointing to more slow and choppy improvement in the job market. About 346,0000 people filed initial jobless claims last week, 11,000 fewer than a week earlier, the Department of Labor said. Jobless claims are a volatile indicator from week to week, but nevertheless are considered a key measure of layoffs. Economists often prefer to look at a four-week moving average, to smooth out some of the choppiness, and that measure rose slightly last week. Some turnover is normal in the job market. In early 2007, before the recession began, it...

<p>The U.S. economy grew at a slightly slower pace than initially estimated in the first quarter and corporate profits shrank during the period, indicative of the lackluster recovery.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the number of U.S. workers seeking first-time unemployment benefits rose for the third time in four weeks, increasing by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 354,000 in the week ended May 25, indicating the labor market may have lost steam.</p>

Initial unemployment claims dropped back to a level indicating moderate job growth last week after a spike the previous week raised alarms about the labor market recovery. The number of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time stood at 340,000 for the week ending Saturday, falling from a revised 363,000 the week before, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists had expected the closely watched jobless claims figure to drop last week to 345,0000. Claims for the week ending May 11, which were revised up from 360,000, had the biggest one-week jump since last fall and were the most...

First-time jobless claims jumped sharply last week a possible signal that businesses are laying off workers over concerns about the effects of across-the-board spending cuts and tax hikes. The number of workers seeking unemployment benefits increased 32,000 to a seasonally adjusted 360,000, the highest level since the end of March, after hitting a five-year low the previous week, the Labor Department reported on Thursday. But the four-week moving average, a figure that provides a better trajectory of where the labor market is headed, rose 1,250 to 339,250, a level that reflects steady hiring. Economists say the market is in better...

First-time jobless claims continued their descent last week, falling to their lowest level in more than five years and providing another sign that the labor market is healing. The number dropped by 4,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 323,000, the best showing since November 2007, a signal that employers are laying off fewer workers, the Labor Department reported on Thursday. The four-week moving average, a figure that provides a better trajectory of where the labor market is headed, dropped 6,250 to 336,750. This week's figure reflects a healthier labor market. Economists say the market is in better shape when...

There were 324,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance last week, down 18,000 from the previous week's 342,000, the Employment and Training Administration reports. Claims continue to run around the lowest pace since early 2008 — they haven't been lower since a week in mid-January 2008 when they came in at 321,000. Bloomberg News writes that the drop indicates "companies are retaining staff even as the economy cools." We'll learn much more about the labor market Friday, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics is due to release data on the April unemployment rate and job growth. Bloomberg says that economists expect...

Investing.com - The number of people who filed for unemployment assistance in the U.S. fell more-than-expected last week, while the previous week’s figure was devised higher, official data showed on Thursday. In a report, the U.S. Department of Labor said the number of individuals filing for initial jobless benefits in the week ending April 19 fell by 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 339,000, compared to expectations for a decrease of 4,000 to 351,000. Jobless claims for the preceding week were revised up to 355,000 from a previously reported increase of 352,000. Continuing jobless claims in the week ended April 13...

The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose last week, signaling little improvement in a soft U.S. labor market, though broadly in line with analyst expectations. In the week ended April 13, applications for unemployment insurance payments increased by 4,000 to 352,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That's the highest level in two months. Economists surveyed by Reuters expected claims to rise to 350,000 from the prior week's upwardly revised figure of 348,000. The four-week moving average, which normally provides a better indication of the underlying trend in labor markets than the weekly number of jobless claims,...

There were 346,000 first-time claims for unemployment benefits, down 42,000 from the week before, the Employment and Training Administration reports. Meanwhile, the "4-week moving average" of claims was 358,000, up by 3,000 from the previous week's 355,000. That measure smooths out some of the volatility in the numbers. After recent reports that were disappointing, including last week's news that employers added only 88,000 jobs to their payrolls in March, Thursday's data on jobless claims were a positive switch. Bloomberg News says the decline in claims was more than forecast and could be a sign that some things that tend to...

here were 385,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance last week, up by 28,000 from the week before, the Employment and Training Administration says. The news follows Wednesday's report of slower-than-expected job growth in the private sector: The ADP National Employment Report estimated there were just 158,000 jobs added at businesses last month. And the word that jobless claims have touched a four-month high comes just before Friday's anxiously anticipated report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It will release data on the March unemployment rate and job growth in both the public and private sectors. According to Reuters, economists expect...

WASHINGTON--The number of Americans claiming first-time unemployment benefits rose for the second week in a row, a possible sign that the labor market lost a bit of momentum. Initial jobless claims, an indication of layoffs, increased by 16,000 to a seasonally adjusted 357,000 in the week ended March 23, the Labor Department said Thursday. That was above economists' forecast of 340,000 new claims. The latest week's gain came after claims rose 7,000 to a revised 341,000 in the week ended March 16. The four-week moving average, which smoothes out week-to-week volatility in the data, rose by 2,250 to 343,000. Even...