Como se combate o populismo? "Com eleições", responde Fukuyama

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8:30am 02/24/05 U.S. CONTINUING JOBLESS CLAIMS DOWN 62,000 TO 2.65 MLN
8:30am 02/24/05 U.S. 4-WEEK AVG. JOBLESS CLAIMS DOWN 3,250 TO 308,750
8:30am 02/24/05 U.S. WEEKLY JOBLESS CLAIMS UP 9,000 TO 312,000

8:30am 02/24/05 U.S. DEC. DURABLE GOODS ORDERS REVISED UP 1.4% VS. 1.1%
8:30am 02/24/05 U.S. JAN. CORE CAPITAL GOODS ORDERS RISE 2.9%
8:30am 02/24/05 U.S. JAN. DURABLE GOODS INVENTORIES UP 0.9%
8:30am 02/24/05 U.S. JAN. DURABLE GOODS SHIPMENTS UP 1.5%
8:30am 02/24/05 U.S. JAN. DURABLE GOODS EX-TRANSPORTATION UP 0.8%
8:30am 02/24/05 U.S. JAN. DURABLE GOODS ORDERS FALL 0.9% VS 0% EXPECTED


ECONOMIC REPORT: Jobless claims up 9,000 in week; First increase after three straight weekly declines
By Greg Robb, MarketWatch
Last Update: 8:32 AM ET Feb. 24, 2005

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Jobless claims reversed course and rose in the latest week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

The number of initial claims in the week ending February 19 rose 9,000 to 312,000.

This is the first increase after three straight weekly declines.

The increase was higher than expected. The consensus forecast of Wall Street economists was for claims to rise to 308,000.

A Labor Department official said there were no special factors, such as weather or holidays, that affected the weekly figures.

Claims in the previous week were revised to a drop of 1,000 to 303,000 compared with the initial estimate of a fall of 2,000 to 302,000.

The four-week average of initial claims fell 3,250 to 308,750. This is the lowest level since Nov. 2000.

Meanwhile, the number of Americans receiving state jobless benefits fell 62,000 to 2.65 million in the week ending Feb. 12. The four-week moving average of continuing claims fell 40,250 to 2.70 million, the lowest since April 2001.

The insured unemployment rate held steady at 2.1 percent for the week ended Feb. 12.

Federal Reserve officials believe the labor market is improving, according to the minutes of their last meeting on Feb. 1 and 2. The minutes were released on Wednesday.


ECONOMIC REPORT: U.S. durable orders fall 0.9% in Jan.; 27% drop in aircraft masks strength in most sectors
By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch
Last Update: 8:32 AM ET Feb. 24, 2005

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Orders for new U.S.-made durable goods sank 0.9 percent in January as demand for civilian aircraft plunged, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

Excluding the 5.3 percent drop in orders for transportation goods, new orders increased 0.8 percent, surprising strength given the expiration of a tax break at the end of 2004 that economists suspected would reduce growth in the early months of this year.

Orders in December were revised higher to a 1.4 percent gain from 1.1 percent previously.

Economists were looking for orders to be unchanged in January, according to a survey conducted by MarketWatch.

Durable goods orders are extremely volatile, particularly for big-ticket items such as airplanes. New orders are up 10.5 percent since January 2004.

New orders for most categories were up in January, except for computers, cars and airplanes. The orders data do not include semiconductors.

Shipments of durable goods rose 1.5 percent in the month after an upwardly revised 2.8 percent increase in December. The revision to December shipments should lead to a greater upward revision to fourth-quarter gross domestic product on Friday.

Orders for core capital goods increased 2.9 percent in January after a 3.3 percent gain in December.

Shipments of core capital goods - the best monthly measure of business investment - increased 3.7 percent.

Inventories of durable goods increased 0.9 percent in January, while unfilled orders fell 0.2 percent.

Transportation goods accounted for the decline in new orders. Orders for aircraft sank 27.1 percent in January after falling 16.8 percent in December. Orders for motor vehicles fell 3.8 percent after a 4.9 percent rise in December. Orders for defense aircraft jumped 56.9 percent after a 39.8 percent decline in December.

Orders for electrical equipment increased a record 13 percent while shipments rose 4.9 percent.

Orders for computers and electronics fell 1.2 percent while shipments increased 4 percent.

Orders for machinery increased 0.3 percent while shipments increased 2.6 percent.

Orders for primary metals increased 1.6 percent while shipments increased 2.3 percent.

Orders and shipments for fabricated metals increased 1.2 percent.