Saturday, January 3, 2009

Welcome drop in jobless claims ends year

The number of Americans filing for first-time unemployment benefits fell sharply last week.

First time jobless claims fell by 94,000 for the week ended Dec. 27, the Department of Labor reported today.

Initial filings for first-time unemployment benefits dipped to 492,000 last week from the 26-year high of 586,000 for the week ended Dec. 20.

The Labor department cited seasonal volatility in explaining the drop.

Economists surveyed by Chicago-based Briefing.com Inc. were expecting jobless claims to slip to 575,000.

The four-week moving average for unemployment insurance claims was 552,250, a decrease of 5,750 from the previous week.

  • Jobless Claims Soar for Week
  • Jobless Claims Up in Sign of Further Weakness
  • 15,000 added to jobless rolls last week
  • Jobless claims at seven-year high
  • Industrial production sharply down in April
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