Jobless Claims Edge Lower, Holding Near Multi-Decade Lows - IndexBox

The Labor Department reported on Thursday that seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims slipped by 1,000 to 197,000 for the week ending September 19, according to Reuters. The reading keeps claims in a range last seen in the late 1960s, and it came in below the 201,000 that economists surveyed by Reuters had expected. The prior week's figure was revised upward by 2,000, moving from 196,000 to 198,000. The four-week moving average, which smooths weekly volatility, fell by 1,750 to 202,250. Continuing claims, a gauge of insured unemployment often treated as a proxy for hiring, rose by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 1.719 million for the period ending September 12.