Updated: 17-Oct-24 09:54 ET

Initial Claims for the Week Ended Oct 12

Updated: 17-Oct-24 09:54 ET

Highlights

• Initial jobless claims for the week ending October 12 decreased by 19,000 to 241,000 (Briefing.com consensus 270,000).
• Continuing jobless claims for the week ending October 5 increased by 9,000 to 1.867 million.

Key Factors

• The four-week moving average for initial claims increased by 4,750 to 236,250.
• The four-week moving average for continuing claims increased by 11,500 to 1,842,750.
• The total number of continued weeks claimed for benefits in all programs for the week ending September 28 was 1,637,496, an increase of 496 from the previous week. In the same week a year ago, there were 1,579,345 weekly claims filed for benefits in all programs.

Big Picture

• The key takeaway from the report is that it is muddled by the effects of the hurricanes, yet it is being greeted with a sense of pleasant surprise that initial jobless claims were much better than feared.

Category	Oct 12	Oct 5	Sep 28	Sep 21	Sep 14
Initial Claims	241K	260K	225K	219K	222K
4-Wk Moving Avg	236K	232K	224K	225K	228K
Continued Benefits		1867K	1858K	1819K	1827K
4-Wk Moving Avg		1843K	1831K	1828K	1834K