(Finance) – They turn out requests for unemployment benefits were marginally higher than expected In the USA. In the week to 14 October 2023, i “claims” they were equal to 210,000 units, compared to the 200,000 units of the previous week (data revised from a preliminary of 209 thousand). The figure is just above consensus which estimated a level of 208 thousand units.
There average of the last four weeks – based on data from the US Department of Labor – settled at 207,500 units, up by 1,250 units compared to the previous week’s figure. The four-week average is considered a more accurate indicator of the health of the labor market, as it smooths out the sharp swings seen on a weekly basis.
Finally, in the week to 7 October, the continuous subsidy requests stood at 1,790,000, up by 63,000 thousand units compared to the 1,727,000 units of the previous week (data revised from a preliminary of 1,734,000). Analysts’ estimates were for an increase to 1,740,000 units.