Recent Updates
- China: 70-City Property Prices (Nov)
- Serbia: Labor Cost Index (Q3); CPI (NOV)
- Czech Republic: Mortgage Loans (Q3)
- US: IP & Capacity Utilization, Advance Retail Sales (Nov), ECEC (Q3)
- US: Manufacturing and Composite PMI (Nov)
- Albania: Wage Indexes (Q3); Production Index (Q3)
- Canada: National Balance Sheet & Flow of Funds (Q3)
- more updates...
Economy in Brief
U.S. Industrial Production Rebounds
Industrial production jumped a greater-than-expected 0.6% (3.9% year-on-year) during November...
U.S. Business Inventory Accumulation Picks Up
Total business inventories increased 0.6% (5.1% y/y) during October...
U.S. Import Prices Weaken As Petroleum Prices Fall; Export Prices Also Decline
Import prices fell 1.6% (+0.7% y/y) during November following an unrevised 0.5% October rise...
U.S. Government Budget Deficit Surges Unexpectedly
The U.S. Treasury Department reported that the federal government ran a $204.9 billion budget deficit during November...
U.S. Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims Decline
Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell to 206,000 (-7.6% y/y) during the week ended December 8...
by Tom Moeller December 29, 2005
Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell 3,000 to 322,000 last week following a little revised 12,000 decline the prior week. Consensus expectations had been for 325,000 claims.
During the last ten year there has been a (negative) 75% correlation between the level of initial jobless insurance claims and the m/m change in payroll employment.
The four-week moving average of initial claims was little changed at 325,000 (-1.7% y/y).
Continuing unemployment insurance claims increased a sharp 85,000 following a 36,000 rise the prior week which was little different than initially reported.
The insured rate of unemployment remained at 2.1%.
International Capital Flows and U.S. Interest Rates from the Federal Reserve Board is available here.
| Unemployment Insurance (000s) | 12/24/05 | 12/17/05 | Y/Y | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Claims | 322 | 319 | -0.6% | 343 | 402 | 404 |
| Continuing Claims | -- | 2,715 | -1.2% | 2,926 | 3,531 | 3,570 |
