Economic Event Initial Claims Units Thousands of Claims Current Period 09/19/2009 Release Date Sep. 24. 09 Reported 530 Consensus for Current Period 534 Number of Forecasts 6 Economic Surprise -4 ( -0.75 % ) Prior Period 09/12/2009 Reported Value for Prior Period 551 Revised From 545 Next Release Date Oct. 01. 09 Next Release Time 8:30 AM Eastern Time Source http://ows.doleta.gov/press/2009/092409.asp Note The 4-week moving average was 553,500, a decrease of 11,000 from the previous week " s revised average of 564,500. 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.

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