Haver Analytics
Haver Analytics
Global| Nov 23 2005

Initial Claims for Jobless Insurance Higher

Summary

Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose 30,000 to 335,000 last week and reversed the little revised 23,000 decline the prior week. Consensus expectations had been for a lesser increase to 311,000 claims. Hurricane related [...]


Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose 30,000 to 335,000 last week and reversed the little revised 23,000 decline the prior week. Consensus expectations had been for a lesser increase to 311,000 claims.

Hurricane related claims totaled 21,000 and brought the total of the three storms during the last twelve weeks to 582,000.

The four-week moving average of initial claims ticked up slightly to 323,250 (-2.5% y/y).

Continuing claims for unemployment insurance rose a sharp 59,000 following three successive weeks of decline.

The insured rate of unemployment held at 2.2% for the ninth consecutive week.

Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee November 1, 2005 can be found here.

Estimating the "Neutral" Real Interest Rate in Real Time from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco is available here.

Unemployment Insurance (000s) 11/19/05 11/12/05 Y/Y 2004 2003 2002
Initial Claims 335 305 3.4% 343 402 404
Continuing Claims -- 2,824 3.1% 2,926 3,531 3,570
  • Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio.   Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984.   He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C.   In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists.   Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.

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