Weekly claims are unexpectedly up again, with the 4-week moving average holding near or above 450,000 for months.



Once again the number of claims exceeded the estimate of every economist in the survey, this time by a minimum of 23,000 claims. The last two times economists blamed snow and Easter (as if they did not know there was snow or Easter) when they made their projections.



This week there is no Easter or weather to blame. I guess it's just one of those things (like economists being perpetually optimistic).



Weekly Claims Report



Please consider the Unemployment Weekly Claims Report for April 20, 2010.

In the week ending May 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 471,000, an increase of 25,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 446,000. The 4-week moving average was 453,500, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 450,500.

Unemployment Claims

4-Week Moving Average of Initial Claims

4-Week Moving Average of Initial Claims Since 2007

Questions on the Weekly Claims vs. the Unemployment Rate