The DOL reports:



In the week ending April 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 324,000, a decrease of 18,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 342,000. The 4-week moving average was 342,250, a decrease of 16,000 from the previous week's revised average of 358,250.

Click on graph for larger image.

The previous week was revised up from 339,000.The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since January 2000.The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims decreased to 342,250.Weekly claims were the lowest since 2008, and the 4-week average is just above the low for the year. Claims were below the 345,000 consensus forecast.