Global| Apr 13 2017U.S. Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance Ease
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
Initial unemployment insurance claims slipped to 234,000 during the week ended April 8 (-9.3% y/y) from 235,000 in the prior week, revised from 234,000. It was the lowest level of claims in six weeks. Expectations had been for 245,000 [...]
Initial unemployment insurance claims slipped to 234,000 during the week ended April 8 (-9.3% y/y) from 235,000 in the prior week, revised from 234,000. It was the lowest level of claims in six weeks. Expectations had been for 245,000 claims in the Action Economics Forecast Survey. The four-week moving average fell to 247,250. During the last ten years, there has been a 74% correlation between the level of initial claims and the m/m change in nonfarm payrolls.
Continuing claims for unemployment insurance in the week ended April 1 eased to 2.028 million (-6.9% y/y) from 2.035 million. The four-week moving average of claimants fell to 2.026 million, the lowest level since June 2000.
The insured unemployment rate held at 1.5% and remained near the record low.
Insured rates of unemployment across states continue to vary widely. For the week ended March 25, the lowest rates were in Florida (0.52%), North Carolina (0.54%), Tennessee (0.67%), Georgia (0.68%), South Carolina (0.69%) and Virginia (0.73%). The highest rates were found in Montana (2.37%), California (2.42%), Rhode Island (2.58%), Connecticut (2.82%), New Jersey (2.90%) and Alaska (3.66%). The state data are not seasonally adjusted.
Data on weekly unemployment insurance are contained in Haver's WEEKLY database and they are summarized monthly in USECON. Data for individual states are in REGIONW. The expectations figure is from the Action Economics Forecast Survey, carried in the AS1REPNA database.
| Unemployment Insurance (SA, 000s) | 04/08/17 | 04/01/17 | 03/25/17 | Y/Y % | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Claims | 234 | 235 | 259 | -9.3 | 263 | 278 | 308 |
| Continuing Claims | -- | 2,028 | 2,035 | -6.9 | 2,136 | 2,267 | 2,599 |
| Insured Unemployment Rate (%) | -- | 1.5 | 1.5 |
1.6 |
1.6 | 1.7 | 2.0 |
Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »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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