In the week ending March 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 315,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 324,000. The 4-week moving average was 330,500, a decrease of 6,250 from the previous week's revised average of 336,750.The previous week was revised up from 323,000.
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 declined to 330,500.
This was below the consensus forecast of 330,000. The 4-week average is mostly moving sideways ...