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

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ECONOMIC REPORT: U.S. jobless claims fall to 318,000
By Robert Schroeder, MarketWatch
Last Update: 8:37 AM ET Dec. 22, 2005

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - First-time applications for state unemployment benefits fell by 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 318,000 in the week ending Dec. 17, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

Initial claims filed in the previous week were revised higher by 2,000 to 331,000.

Economists surveyed by MarketWatch were expecting jobless claims to dip to 326,000.

The four-week moving average of new claims fell by 4,750 to reach 324,500. The moving average is considered a better gauge of the labor market, since it smoothes out the effects of one-time events like holidays and weather.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita continued to account for some claims, a Labor Department spokesman said. For the week ending Dec. 17, 700 claims were related to those storms. That brings the cumulative total to 571,200, the spokesman said.

There were also 700 claims related to Hurricane Wilma for the week, bringing the cumulative total for that storm to 32,400.

Before the storms, jobless claims were in the 310,000 to 330,000 range.

The number of workers collecting state unemployment benefits rose by 41,000 to 2.64 million in the week ended Dec. 10. The four-week average of continuing claims fell by 39,750 to 2.64 million.

The insured unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points to 2.1% for the week ended Dec. 10.

In separate reports, the Commerce Department said Thursday consumer spending grew 0.3% in November, matching a 0.3% gain in incomes.



ECONOMIC REPORT: U.S. spending, income up 0.3% in Nov; Headline inflation falls by record amount
By Greg Robb, MarketWatch
Last Update: 8:32 AM ET Dec. 22, 2005

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. consumer spending grew 0.3% in November, matching a 0.3% gain in incomes, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Meanwhile, headline inflation fell by a record amount and core inflation measures rose slightly in the month.

Core inflation is up 1.8% in the past 12 months, the smallest gain since March 2004.

Economists were expecting incomes to rise 0.4% in November, with spending up 0.3%, according to a MarketWatch survey.

The personal savings rate remained steady at -0.2% from October. The October level was revised up from the initial estimate of -0.7%.

The headline personal consumption expenditure price index decreased a record 0.4% in November, bringing its year-over-year increase down to 2.7%, the lowest since July.

The core personal consumption expenditure price index increased 0.1% in November, bringing the year-over-year increase down to 1.9% from 1.9% in October. It's the smallest year-over-year gain since March 2004.

Fed officials have said they want core inflation to remain between 1% and 2%.

The Fed's policy committee will meet on Jan. 31 to consider a 14th consecutive quarter-percentage point increase in the federal funds target rate to 4.5%.

Incomes from wages and salaries increased 0.2% in November.

Real (inflation adjusted spending increased 0.7% in November.

Real spending on durable goods rose 2.9% in November. Spending on nondurable goods increased 0.9%, while spending on services increased 0.2%.

Disposable incomes (after taxes) increased 0.3% in November. After adjusting for inflation, disposable incomes rose 0.7%.

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8:30am 12/22/05 PRIOR WEEK JOBLESS CLAIMS REVISED UP TO 331,000
8:30am 12/22/05 U.S. CONTINUING JOBLESS CLAIMS RISE BY 41,000 TO 2.6 MLN
8:30am 12/22/05 U.S. 4-WEEK JOBLESS CLAIMS FALLS TO 324,000
8:30am 12/22/05 INSURED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE RISES TO 2.1%
8:30am 12/22/05 HURRICANE-RELATED CLAIMS NOW TOTAL 571,200
8:30am 12/22/05 U.S. JOBLESS CLAIMS FALL BY 13,000 TO 318,000

8:30am 12/22/05 U.S. NOV. DISPOSABLE INCOME UP 0.3%
8:30am 12/22/05 U.S. NOV. WAGES, SALARIES UP 0.2%
8:30am 12/22/05 U.S. NOV. SAVINGS RATE AT -0.2%, SAME AS OCT.
8:30am 12/22/05 U.S. NOV. CORE INFLATION UP 1.8% YR-ON-YR, VS 1.9% OCT.
8:30am 12/22/05 U.S. NOV. CORE INFLATION RATE UP 0.1%
8:30am 12/22/05 U.S. NOV. PERSONAL INCOME UP 0.3% VS 0.4% EXPECTED
8:30am 12/22/05 U.S. NOV. CONSUMER SPENDING UP 0.3%, IN LINE WITH FORECASTS