Initial Jobless Claims Drop 15,000 to 320,000 in Week Ended August 10

WASHINGTON — Initial unemployment claims for the August 10 week were reported down 15,000 to 320,000, their lowest since October 2007. The Labor Department analyst saw nothing unusual to explain the drop (unadjusted claims fell 8,000).

Claims averaged 342,000 in July, 346,000 in June, 352,000 in May, and 343,000 in April. So the latest numbers suggest labor market improvement.

Continuing claims were down 54,000 for the August 3 week, to 2.969 million.

Market News International is a real-time global news service for fixed-income and foreign exchange market professionals. See www.marketnews.com.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
MORE FROM BOND BUYER