Thursday, August 25, 2005

Jobless Claims Remain Low

- Initial Jobless Claims for last week fell to 315K versus estimates of 315K and 319K the prior week.
- Continuing Claims fell to 2578K versus estimates of 2575K and 2587K prior.
BOTTOM LINE: The number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits fell to 315,000 last week as companies held on to workers in an expanding economy, Bloomberg reported. The four-week moving-average rose to 315,000 from 313,750. However, the four-week moving-average of continuing claims was the lowest since March 2001. The insured employment rate, which tends to track the US unemployment rate, was unchanged at 2.0%. Recent jobless claims figures point to employment gains of about 200,000 in the upcoming employment report.

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