13:30 - Dados States
Enviado: 21/4/2005 13:378:30am 04/21/05 U.S. CONTINUING CLAIMS FALL 17,000 TO 2.64 MLN
8:30am 04/21/05 U.S. INITIAL CLAIMS MATCH LOW FOR THE CYCLE
8:30am 04/21/05 U.S. INITIAL CLAIMS BIGGEST DROP SINCE DEC. 2001
8:30am 04/21/05 U.S. LABOR DEPT. CITES SEASONAL ADJUSTMENT ISSUES
8:30am 04/21/05 U.S. 4-WEEK AVERAGE OF INITIAL CLAIMS FALLS TO 330,250
8:30am 04/21/05 U.S. INITIAL JOBLESS CLAIMS FALL 36,000 TO 296,000
ECONOMIC REPORT: U.S. jobless claims plunge to 296,000
Labor Dept. cites seasonal adjustment issues around Easter holiday
By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch
Last Update: 8:31 AM ET April 21, 2005
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - First-time claims for state unemployment benefits plunged by 36,000 to a seasonally adjusted 296,000 in the week ending April 16, the Labor Department said Thursday.
It matched the lowest level for this business cycle. It's the largest one-week decline since December 2001.
A Labor Department official cautioned, however, that seasonal adjustment issues surrounding the Easter holiday may have distorted the decline in new claims. Easter came relatively early this year.
As always, the government recommended looking at the four-week average as a more reliable indicator of labor market conditions.
The four-week average of initial claims, which smoothes out distortions caused by one-time events such as weather and holidays, dropped by 8,500 to 330,250, a four-week low.
After dipping to 307,250 in February, the four-week average of new claims has returned to the levels that prevailed for most of the last year, between 330,000 and 350,000, consistent with monthly payroll growth of about 150,000 to 200,000.
A year ago, the four-week average was near 350,000.
Meanwhile, the number of people receiving weekly benefit checks fell by 17,000 to 2.64 million in the week ending April 9. The four-week average of continuing claims dropped by 9,000 to 2.64 million, the lowest in four years.
A year ago, continuing claims were averaging 3.01 million.
The insured unemployment rate - the ratio of beneficiaries to those eligible for benefits if laid off - remained at 2.1 percent.
The Federal Reserve had been focused on the weak labor market for much of the past four years. But recent comments from Fed officials indicate that they are satisfied with the improvements in job growth and are now focused primarily on inflationary signals.
The Fed is expected to raise its short-term interest rate target to 3 percent at the next meeting on May 3.
Unemployment benefits are available for six months to those in covered employment who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. About a third of beneficiaries exhaust their benefits before finding a job.
8:30am 04/21/05 U.S. INITIAL CLAIMS MATCH LOW FOR THE CYCLE
8:30am 04/21/05 U.S. INITIAL CLAIMS BIGGEST DROP SINCE DEC. 2001
8:30am 04/21/05 U.S. LABOR DEPT. CITES SEASONAL ADJUSTMENT ISSUES
8:30am 04/21/05 U.S. 4-WEEK AVERAGE OF INITIAL CLAIMS FALLS TO 330,250
8:30am 04/21/05 U.S. INITIAL JOBLESS CLAIMS FALL 36,000 TO 296,000
ECONOMIC REPORT: U.S. jobless claims plunge to 296,000
Labor Dept. cites seasonal adjustment issues around Easter holiday
By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch
Last Update: 8:31 AM ET April 21, 2005
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - First-time claims for state unemployment benefits plunged by 36,000 to a seasonally adjusted 296,000 in the week ending April 16, the Labor Department said Thursday.
It matched the lowest level for this business cycle. It's the largest one-week decline since December 2001.
A Labor Department official cautioned, however, that seasonal adjustment issues surrounding the Easter holiday may have distorted the decline in new claims. Easter came relatively early this year.
As always, the government recommended looking at the four-week average as a more reliable indicator of labor market conditions.
The four-week average of initial claims, which smoothes out distortions caused by one-time events such as weather and holidays, dropped by 8,500 to 330,250, a four-week low.
After dipping to 307,250 in February, the four-week average of new claims has returned to the levels that prevailed for most of the last year, between 330,000 and 350,000, consistent with monthly payroll growth of about 150,000 to 200,000.
A year ago, the four-week average was near 350,000.
Meanwhile, the number of people receiving weekly benefit checks fell by 17,000 to 2.64 million in the week ending April 9. The four-week average of continuing claims dropped by 9,000 to 2.64 million, the lowest in four years.
A year ago, continuing claims were averaging 3.01 million.
The insured unemployment rate - the ratio of beneficiaries to those eligible for benefits if laid off - remained at 2.1 percent.
The Federal Reserve had been focused on the weak labor market for much of the past four years. But recent comments from Fed officials indicate that they are satisfied with the improvements in job growth and are now focused primarily on inflationary signals.
The Fed is expected to raise its short-term interest rate target to 3 percent at the next meeting on May 3.
Unemployment benefits are available for six months to those in covered employment who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. About a third of beneficiaries exhaust their benefits before finding a job.