U.S. Jobless Claims Rise Much More Than Expected To Two-Month High

RTTNews | 22 dias atrás
U.S. Jobless Claims Rise Much More Than Expected To Two-Month High

(RTTNews) - A report released by the Labor Department on Thursday showed first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rose by much more than expected in the week ended April 26th.

The Labor Department said initial jobless claims climbed to 241,000, an increase of 18,000 from the previous week's revised level of 223,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to inch up to 224,000 from the 222,000 originally reported for the previous week.

With the bigger than expected increase, jobless claims reached their highest level since hitting 243,000 in the week ended February 22nd.

"The jump in claims is less worrisome than it might be otherwise since the increase was narrowly based, with New York accounting for most of the rise in claims, which is likely a function of school spring holidays," said Nancy Vanden Houten, Lead U.S. Economist at Oxford Economics.

The report also said the less volatile four-week moving average rose to 226,000, an increase of 5,500 from the previous week's revised average of 220,500.

Continuing claims, a reading on the number of people receiving ongoing unemployment assistance, also increased by 83,000 to 1.916 million in the week ended April 19th.

The four-week moving average of continuing claims climbed to 1,867,750, an increase of 5,750 from the previous week's revised average of 1,862,000.

"Continued claims are more volatile week to week, but remain elevated, signaling that workers who lose their job are facing challenges in finding new employment," said Vanden Houten.

On Friday, the Labor Department is scheduled to release its more closely watched monthly employment report for April.

Economists currently expect employment to jump by 130,000 jobs in April after surging by 228,000 jobs in March, while the unemployment rate is expected to remain unchanged at 4.2 percent.

Marcadores : USD
read more
U.S. New Home Sales Spike From Downwardly Revised Level In April

U.S. New Home Sales Spike From Downwardly Revised Level In April

The Commerce Department released a report on Friday showing new home sales in the U.S. in the month of April spiked compared to a significantly downwardly revised level in March. The report said new home sales soared by 10.9 percent to an annual rate of 743,000 in April after jumping by 2.6 percent to a downwardly revised rate of 670,000 in March.
RTTNews | 17h 36min atrás
U.S. Existing Home Sales Unexpectedly See Further Downside In April

U.S. Existing Home Sales Unexpectedly See Further Downside In April

Existing home sales in the U.S. unexpectedly saw further downside in the month of April, according to a report released by the National Association of Realtors on Thursday. NAR said existing home sales fell by 0.5 percent to an annual rate of 4.00 million in April after plunging by 5.9 percent to a rate of 4.02 million in March.
RTTNews | 1 dia atrás
U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Edge Down To 227,000

U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Edge Down To 227,000

A report released by the Labor Department on Thursday unexpectedly showed a slight decline by first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended May 17th. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims edged down to 227,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 229,000. The dip surprised economists, who had expected jobless claims to inch up to 230,000.
RTTNews | 1 dia atrás
U.S. Leading Economic Index Slumps More Than Expected In April

U.S. Leading Economic Index Slumps More Than Expected In April

The Conference Board released a report on Monday showing its reading on leading U.S. economic indicators slumped by more than expected in the month of April. The report said the leading economic index tumbled by 1.0 percent in April after sliding by a downwardly revised 0.8 percent in March.
RTTNews | 4 dias atrás
U.S. Consumer Sentiment Unexpectedly Continues To Deteriorate In May

U.S. Consumer Sentiment Unexpectedly Continues To Deteriorate In May

Consumer sentiment in the U.S. has unexpectedly continued to deteriorate in the month of May, according to preliminary data released by the University of Michigan on Friday. The University of Michigan said its consumer sentiment index dipped to 50.8 in May after slumping to 52.2 in April. Economists had expected the index to inch up to 53.4.
RTTNews | 7 dias atrás
U.S. Import, Export Prices Unexpectedly Inch Higher In April

U.S. Import, Export Prices Unexpectedly Inch Higher In April

The Labor Department released a report on Friday unexpectedly showing modest increases by both U.S. import and export prices in the month of April. The report said import prices crept up by 0.1 percent in April after falling by a downwardly revised 0.4 percent in March.
RTTNews | 7 dias atrás