In the week ending September 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 207,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 204,000 to 205,000. The 4-week moving average was 208,750, a decrease of 2,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 211,000 to 211,250. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.1 percent for the week ending September 23, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted ... (full story)

The U.S. labor market held strong as September came to a close, with weekly jobless claims holding around recent lows, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Initial filings for unemployment benefits totaled 207,000 for the week ended Sept. 30, up just 2,000 from the previous period and below the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 210,000. Continuing claims, which run a week behind, were little changed at 1.664 million, below the 1.68 million estimate from FactSet. The four-week moving average of claims, which irons out volatility, fell to 208,750, a decline of 2,500. The report comes at a critical time for the ... (full story)