Recent Updates
- ** New Zealand's jobs online report has been delayed by the source, MBIE, until 6:00 PM ET 4/26.**
- New Zealand: Foreign Currency Assets & Liabilities & Currency Flows (Mar); Australia: Labor Force Survey (Mar), Import/Export Price Indexes, SME Business Survey (Q1), Cash Flow Statements, Government Finance Statistics (2017)
- Japan: Input Output Prices, Lease Contracts (Mar), First 10 Days Trade (Apr), International Trade (Mar-Final)
- Brunei: International Trade (Dec); Korea: GDP (Q1); China:
- more updates...
Economy in Brief
Japan Shows Very Moderate Growth As Trade War Clouds Gather
Japan’s sector indexes showed a solid gain in February...
U.S. Consumer Confidence Unexpectedly Rose in April
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index rose to 128.7 in April from 127.0 (initially reported as 127.7) in March...
U.S. New Home Sales and Prices Strengthen
Sales of new single-family homes during March increased 4.0% (8.8% y/y) to 694,000 (SAAR)...
U.S. FHFA House Price Index Continues to Strengthen
The FHFA index of U.S. house prices rose 0.6% during February...
U.S. Energy Prices Rise Further
Retail gasoline prices increased to $2.80 per gallon last week (14.3% y/y)...
by Tom Moeller February 1, 2007
A 20,000 drop in initial unemployment insurance claims last week to 307.000 reversed half of the upwardly revised increase the prior week. Consensus expectations had been for 315,000 claims.
During the last ten years there has been a (negative) 77% correlation between the level of initial claims and the m/m change in nonfarm payroll employment.
The four-week moving average of initial claims fell to 304,750 (6.6% y/y).
Continuing claims for unemployment insurance jumped 71,000 (1.1% y/y).
The insured rate of unemployment remained at 1.9%, about where it's been since February.
| Unemployment Insurance (000s) | 01/27/07 | 01/20/07 | Y/Y | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Claims | 307 | 327 | 8.1% | 313 | 332 | 343 |
| Continuing Claims | -- | 2,484 | -3.2% | 2,459 | 2,662 | 2,924 |
