by Calculated Risk on 1/02/2014 08:41:00 AM

The DOL reports:

In the week ending December 28, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 339,000, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 341,000. The 4-week moving average was 357,250, an increase of 8,500 from the previous week's revised average of 348,750.

The previous week was revised up from 338,000.

The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since January 2000.

Click on graph for larger image.


The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims increased to 357,250.

Weekly claims are frequently volatile during the holidays because of the seasonal adjustment. This is the highest level for the 4-week average since October.