Economic Event Initial Claims Units Thousands of Claims Current Period 05/23/2009 Release Date May. 28. 09 Reported 623 Consensus for Current Period 635 Number of Forecasts 6 Economic Surprise -12 ( -1.89 % ) Prior Period 05/16/2009 Reported Value for Prior Period 636 Revised From 631 Next Release Date Jun. 04. 09 Next Release Time 8:30 AM Eastern Time Source http://ows.doleta.gov/press/2009/052809.asp Note The 4-week moving average was 626,750, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week " s revised average of 629,750. Description Initial jobless claims measure the amount of filings for state jobless benefits. This indicator of the direction of the economy can be misleading, with increases in claims potential signaling slowing job growth. Typically a four week moving average provides a better sense of the underlying trend. A move of 30K is necessary to signal a meaningful change in job growth.

Close Window