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Market Trends
Weekly Economic Review | June 27, 2022
Jun 27, 2022
The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims edged lower last week, indicating labor may be softening a bit but remaining near a level that is consistent with a strong labor market. Claims in regular state programs decreased 2,000 to 229,000 for the week ending June 18th, after reporting 231,000 initial claims the prior week. The four-week moving average climbed to 223,500 from 219,000 the prior week. The total number of people continuing to receive regular ongoing state benefits, a report which is lagged one week, increased 5,000 to 1.315 million for the week ending June 11th.
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Market Trends
Weekly Economic Review | June 21, 2022
Jun 21, 2022
The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims edged lower last week, remaining near a level that is consistent with a strong labor market. The unemployment rate is hovering near a five-decade low and there are about two job openings for every unemployed worker. Claims in regular state programs decreased 3,000 to 229,000 for the week ending June 11th, after reporting 232,000 initial claims the prior week. The four-week moving average climbed to 218,500 from 215,750 the prior week. The total number of people continuing to receive regular ongoing state benefits, a report which is lagged one week, increased 3,000 to 1.312 million for the week ending June 4th.
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Market Trends
Weekly Economic Review | June 13, 2022
Jun 13, 2022
The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims increased more than expected last week, which included the Memorial Day weekend. Much of the increase appears to be related to seasonal adjustments to account for the holiday. Claims in regular state programs increased 27,000 to 229,000 for the week ending June 4th, after reporting 202,000 initial claims the prior week. The four-week moving average climbed to 215,000 from 207,000 the prior week. The total number of people continuing to receive regular ongoing state benefits, a report which is lagged one week, remained unchanged at 1.306 million for the week ending May 28th.
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Market Trends
Weekly Economic Review | June 6, 2022
Jun 6, 2022
The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims declined last week with claims holding at historically low levels. Not much has really changed in the labor market. Demand for labor is strong, layoff activity is low and conditions are tight. Claims in regular state programs decreased 11,000 to 200,000 for the week ending May 28th, after reporting 211,000 initial claims the prior week. The four-week moving average edged lower to 206,500 from 207,000 the prior week. The total number of people continuing to receive regular ongoing state benefits, a report which is lagged one week, decreased 34,000 to 1.309 million for the week ending May 21st.
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Market Trends
Weekly Economic Review | May 31, 2022
May 31, 2022
The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims declined last week, suggesting the labor market remains very strong. There has been a lot of noise in the claims data recently, but the consistency of the data for applications for unemployment insurance suggest that not much has really changed in the labor market. Claims in regular state programs decreased 8,000 to 210,000 for the week ending May 21st, after reporting 218,000 initial claims the prior week. The four-week moving average rose to 206,750 from 199,500 the prior week. The total number of people continuing to receive regular ongoing state benefits, a report which is lagged one week, increased 31,000 to 1.346 million for the week ending May 14th.
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Market Trends
Weekly Economic Review | May 23, 2022
May 23, 2022
The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims climbed again last week but remain at a very low level. Demand for labor is strong and there are no reason to believe this will change anytime soon. Even as initial claims have risen, the total rolls of benefit recipients has fallen, indicating more people are finding jobs than losing them. Claims in regular state programs increased 21,000 to 218,000 for the week ending May 14th, after reporting 197,000 initial claims the prior week. The four-week moving average rose to 199,500 from 191,250 the prior week. The total number of people continuing to receive regular ongoing state benefits, a report which is lagged one week, decreased 25,000 to 1.317 million for the week ending May 7th.
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Market Trends
Weekly Economic Review | May 16, 2022
May 16, 2022
The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims climbed slightly last week but remain at a very low level. The labor market remains strong as employers try to hold on to their existing employees. Claims in regular state programs increased 1,000 to 203,000 for the week ending May 7th, after reporting 202,000 initial claims the prior week. The four-week moving average rose to 192,750 from 188,500 the prior week. The total number of people continuing to receive regular ongoing state benefits, a report which is lagged one week, decreased 44,000 to 1.343 million for the week ending April 30th.
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Market Trends
Weekly Economic Review | May 9, 2022
May 9, 2022
The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims climbed last week possibly as a result of volatility due to spring break at many schools. The number continues to reflect an exceptionally strong labor market. Claims in regular state programs increased 19,000 to 200,000 for the week ending April 30th, after reporting 181,000 initial claims the prior week. The four-week moving average rose to 188,000 from 180,000 the prior week. The total number of people continuing to receive regular ongoing state benefits, a report which is lagged one week, decreased 19,000 to 1.384 million for the week ending April 23rd.
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Market Trends
Weekly Economic Review | May 2, 2022
May 2, 2022
The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims declined last week to a level that is consistent with a very strong labor market. These levels are lower than the pre-COVID lows and suggest there has been no relief for employers trying to find help in this tight labor market. Workers continue to hold all the leverage. Claims in regular state programs decreased 5,000 to 180,000 for the week ending April 23rd, after reporting 185,000 initial claims the prior week. The four-week moving average rose to 179,750 from 177,500 the prior week. The total number of people continuing to receive regular ongoing state benefits, a report which is lagged one week, decreased 1,000 to 1.408 million for the week ending April 16th.
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Market Trends
Weekly Economic Review | April 25 , 2022
Apr 25, 2022
The Labor Department reported that initial jobless claims edged lower last week. The very low level of claims are hovering near their historical low point and point to the extreme tightness in the labor market. Growing wages, the declining savings rate and the ending of expected stimulus checks are enticing workers back to the job market. Claims in regular state programs decreased 2,000 to 184,000 for the week ending April 16th, after reporting 186,000 initial claims the prior week. The four- week moving average rose to 177,250 from 172,750 the prior week. The total number of people continuing to receive regular ongoing state benefits, a report which is lagged one week, decreased 58,000 to 1.417 million for the week ending April 9th.
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